As the famous adage goes, “a lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is just putting on its shoes.” Nevertheless, in the era of relentless anti-Israel disinformation dressed up as news, it is crucial for news media outlets to be held accountable when they share unverified facts.
In recent weeks, reports emerged that Hassan Haider, a Lebanese man with ties to Canada, was killed in Lebanon. His family claimed he was killed by Israel, though they did not provide any evidence.
Nevertheless, the CBC podcast Front Burner – among the most vociferously anti-Israel programs in the entire CBC constellation – treated it as fact. In an April 17 episode, host Jayme Poisson spoke with Haider’s brother, and she told listeners that Haider “was killed in an Israeli attack in southern Lebanon last week,” treating opinion as fact and misinforming Canadians in the process.
Listen to the full episode below:
Subsequently, HonestReporting Canada contacted CBC News, reminding them that there was no evidence that Haider was killed by Israel, and that these accusations remained opinion, not fact.
In a follow-up clarification, CBC News added a note appended to the bottom of the article, informing readers that “This episode references a man killed in a strike in Lebanon. The specific nature of that strike should have been attributed to the victim’s family.”
While the clarification is important, it remains insufficient as it was added only to the description of the Front Burner episode, rather than being said on-air. Instead of ensuring journalistic accountability, CBC declined to broadcast the clarification on a subsequent Front Burner episode or edit the offending podcast.
With that said, while far from what is required to meet the standards of any news media outlet, let alone CBC, the recipient of some $1.4 billion in annual taxpayer handouts, this clarification serves as a reminder that claims being leveled against Israel do not become truth unless backed up with evidence, a journalistic principle that CBC would do well to remember.
