In three recent Global News segments, journalist Redmond Shannon reported on Israel-Gaza ceasefire progress as well as Israel’s plan for a humanitarian city in Rafah. In all three reports, Shannon centred on Palestinian narratives while leaving out critical context like Hamas’ role in civilian deaths and Israel’s security needs. Instead, he depicted Israel as a wanton aggressor, uninterested in peace.
Both reported echo Hamas narratives and casualty claims without scrutiny. In a July 7 broadcast entitled: “Gaza war Trump hosts Netanyahu amid Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks,” he described: “A child born after the war started and buried before it ends.” It’s a heartbreaking image, but with no mention of what started the war, or of Hamas operating near clinics or launching attacks from civilian areas, viewers might conclude that the baby is a victim of random Israeli attacks.
Watch the full segment below:
Similarly, in a July 8 report entitled: “Israel plans to move all Gazans to ‘humanitarian city’ on ruins of Rafah,” Shannon claimed Israel has “flattened” the city of Rafah with no background or explanation. He accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “clearing much of Gaza and maintaining Israeli control of the Strip.”
Watch the full segment below:
Shannon failed to mention Rafah’s critical role as a terror and smuggling hub for Hamas operations. Right on the border with Egypt and riddled with terror tunnels, Rafah has served as the terror organization’s main supply line for weapons, drugs, and other supplies for almost two decades.
As for Israeli control of the Gaza Strip: Hamas has vowed to rise again “like the phoenix” and commit October 7-type atrocities again and again. Israel knows that Hamas and its allies are serious about these threats—and that’s why it takes its own security needs seriously. No responsible government would stand by and allow the terror monster to regrow after the war.
Shannon also leveled vicious accusations against Israel without any evidence or legal counterpoint. In the second report, he stated that “Forcible transfer is a violation of several areas of international law… it’s a war crime, it’s a crime against humanity and it is genocide.”
Not only did Shannon have no proof that Israel plans a forcible transfer, he’s also ignoring a clip from Netanyahu in the very same report saying that Israel plans to “give people a free choice.”
As support for his baseless accusation, Shannon quoted an unnamed UNRWA representative who called the plan “outrageous.”
In fact, what would be outrageous would be allowing UNRWA to cozy up to Hamas for another two decades—keeping Gazans hooked on international aid and schools that teach Jew-hatred. Israel’s plan—inspired by the vision of Netanyahu, Donald Trump, and others—offers a brighter future for the people of Gaza than anything UNRWA has provided for them so far.
In the first report, Shannon backed up his anti-Israel claims by quoting a Quincy Institute spokesperson who says Netanyahu “really does not have an interest in ending this war.” The Soros-funded Quincy Institute has been called out repeatedly for its attempts to delegitimize Israel and its leaders—and this quote seems right in line with that agenda. But implying that Netanyahu is uninterested in peace or deliberately prolonging the war amplifies Shannon’s narrative of demonization with absolutely zero evidence.
Finally, both reports quoted Palestinian civilians directly, framing them as sympathetic victims who are helpless in the face of crazed Israeli hostility. Shannon offered no interviews with Israeli civilians, made no mention of October 7th and its toll on Israeli civilians, no description of Hamas missiles over Ashkelon or Sderot, and no challenge to Hamas’s framing of ceasefire terms or its cynical use of Israeli corpses as currency to gain a better deal and stay in power.
A third report by Shannon, broadcast on July 10 entitled: “Israeli strike kills 10 children, 6 adults waiting for aid in Gaza,” treated Palestinian allegations as being de facto true, saying a group of Gazans suffer from a “shortage of food,” and were waiting beside a medical clinic. Virtually no mention was made of Hamas’ widespread use of civilian infrastructure for its terrorism, and the only platform given to Israel was a 10 second read statement, representing less than 10 percent of the broadcast’s timespan.
Watch the full segment below:
These reports overwhelmingly ignore the nature of what is happening, namely an ongoing war. By leaving out any mention of hostages held in tunnels, exchanging civilian corpses for convicted terrorists, Hamas’s use of human shields and other war crimes, Shannon distorted the moral landscape so viewers will be more inclined to agree with his warped assessment.
In a saturated, noisy media landscape, audiences count on journalists to provide clarity—not fuel outrage with lopsided narratives and outright lies. HonestReporting Canada has called out Redmond Shannon multiple times for coverage that is far worse than misleading. But Global News owes Canadians more than this: reporting that informs, not inflames.
