The organization Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), sponsored by an array of media outlets and large companies from Google, TD Bank, CBC, CTV, etc., positions itself as an entity that “promotes free expression and access to information at home and abroad,” and for years, has previously seen itself as something of an expert on the Middle East.
In 2018, HonestReporting Canada reported that CJFE expressed “grave concern” about events surrounding protests at the Gaza border, and they accused Israel of committing brutal “targeted attacks” and “extrajudicial killings” against demonstrators and journalists.
Immediately afterwards, the CJFE statement was condemned by various journalists, and in fact, saw CJFE staff and committee resign and the statement was deleted. More so, the organization’s statement in the aftermath simultaneously solely condemned Israel and admitted that the initial statement was “overreaching” and “went beyond the organization’s mandate.”
Fast forward to the Hamas-Israel war. On October 13, 2023, the CJFE used their X account to repost a thread from the Committee to Protect Journalists that referred to the “Israel-Gaza Conflict.” One post in the thread referred to Hamas’ “new operation against Israel on October, 7, 2023.”
Click below for larger images of posts from X:
But on December 14, 2023, CFJE published a media release titled “The Truth Dies in Darkness” captioned “A Call For Free Press.” In the statement, CJFE called for Israel to “allow journalists to do their jobs without fear of death, detention or harassment,” holding that “[s]ince Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on Hamas,” the number of journalist deaths has been unprecedented.
In this statement, passive, neutral language was used to describe Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023 (forgoing their ongoing crimes, as well). It also omitted Hamas’ nature as a terrorist entity, solely referring to the supposed “war crimes” of Israel’s “apparent deliberate attack on civilians.”
CJFE’s Selective Anti-Israel Bias
The statement falsely equated Hamas and the Israeli military by calling for them to both “allow journalists to do their jobs.” Interestingly, CJFE seemed to downplay or entirely ignore both the complete lack of freedom of press in Gaza because of Hamas, and how so-called Palestinian journalists have been complicit in Hamas terrorism. Naturally, it goes without saying that the deaths of innocent journalists is a tragedy.
On October 16, CJFE announced that they were honouring Samar Abu Elouf, “an extraordinary Palestinian photojournalist, as the second recipient of the 2024 International Press Freedom Award.” The gala was chaired by Carol Off, a retired CBC radio host and longtime anti-Israel detractor who sits on the Executive of the CJFE Board Of Directors.
Abu Elouf Twice Honoured By Hamas Terrorists
In 2021, Abu Elouf was honoured by Hamas as part of its “Day of Loyalty to the Palestinian Journalist.” This means that this freelance photojournalist was awarded by Hamas terrorists for her work with its propaganda arm.
She was similarly honoured by the Islamic terrorist group in 2012. In that same year, she was reportedly an instructor for a series of courses on media for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a banned terrorist group in Canada.
And now CJFE has joined Hamas in recognizing Elouf. After receiving her honour for CJFE, she was interviewed for CBC’s As It Happens on October 24, a radio program with an undeniable anti-Israel agenda, that Carol Off previously hosted. The interview largely consisted of questions concerning her family, her work in breaking “gender roles” as a photojournalist in Gaza, and her message for “[stopping] the war, and I want my people in Gaza to return to their homes.” For its part, the Globe and Mail gave Abu Elouf a glowing portrayal on October 23.
CFJE is a tax-exempt organization that purports to defend “free expression and those with the courage to seek and report the truth.” But by recognizing someone who has been honoured by Hamas multiple times, CFJE has not only strayed far from its mandate; it has actively trampled all over it.
