For the third time in six weeks, CBC News Newfoundland has produced a fluff piece on a tiny group of anti-Israel protesters in St. John’s, giving them a platform to spread disinformation with no challenge, nor context.

The latest article entitled: “MUN student protesters plan Charter challenge after charges dismissed,” published March 11, written by Abby Cole (the author of all three pieces), reported on the latest developments after three students at Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) had charges dismissed, nearly a year after being charged with trespassing after they refused to leave university property during an anti-Israel protest.

Given the marginal nature of the protest, it is unclear why the developments were considered newsworthy, but CBC News is entitled to report on stories as it sees fit. However, in reporting the news, Cole gave an extended opportunity for the anti-Israel activists to make unfounded and dangerous accusations.

One of those arrested, Sadie Mees, was quoted as saying that “the reason we were protesting in the first place is still occurring. There is still a genocide happening in Palestine and our school is still actively invested in that genocide.”

Mees was quoted later on making a similar statement, “we don’t believe that our institution should be invested in genocide and war crimes and weapons manufacturing.”

While it is Mees’ right to hold whatever ignorant views she desires, CBC News has a duty to ensure that disinformation is challenged, or at the very least offered with important context.

By no metric whatsoever is Israel engaged in “genocide” in Gaza, despite the relentless accusations by anti-Israel activists to that end. In fact, Jerusalem’s counter-terrorism operations have been characterized by their extreme steps taken to minimize civilian casualties.

Giving anti-Israel activists an opportunity to repeatedly assail the Jewish State with the baseless “genocide” slur is more than just sloppy journalism; it is giving a voice – without challenge – to a claim that is being used to attack the Canadian Jewish community and demonize them for their connection to the world’s only Jewish nation-state.

Even if CBC News opted to write such a story, and give a platform to those making such unfounded accusations, it is duty-bound to, at minimum, tell readers that these claims are highly contentious, unproven, and quote an opposing voice. However, Cole failed to do this.

In both January and February, Cole produced an uncritical report about this same group of marginal protesters, providing no counter-perspective, nor balance.

In any other context, for instance, if a defendant were advocating for the central tenets of the KKK, CBC News would surely not simply let their quote stand unchallenged, if they quoted them at all. They would provide an addendum making clear that there is no such evidence to support the contentions of the interviewee.

But when it comes to anti-Israel activists, CBC News has repeatedly shown its tendency to act as their stenographers and free publicists. It is time for Canada’s publicly-funded broadcaster to stop being a knee-jerk recorder of the various antics of anti-Israel demonstrators, and start holding them accountable for the mistruths that they spread, so it can serve all Canadians better.