"Journalists in Gaza"

"Many journalists in Gaza have died during this war, either actively at work or seeking shelter with their families." 

"Over the past week, the world has relied on the work of remaining journalists in Gaza to document the starvation and continued bombings, even as organizations have raised alarms over the declining health o these media workers and their families."

"The CMG also join [other media organizations, humanitarian groups, and governments] in calling on the Israeli government to end the hostilities, cease the inhumane treatment of civilians in Gaza, and allow the flow of necessary food and supplies provided by international humanitarian organizations into the territory."

The Canadian Media Guild (CMG)

 

"The problem with the press release was if you knew nothing about the conflict and just read that press release, you would have the impression that Israel mounted an unprovoked attack on Palestinian civilians in an attempt to annihilate them."

"There is no mention of Hamas's role in any of this; not in the massacre that triggered the war, not for holding hostages, and most significantly in terms of this press release, no mention of Hamas looting aid delivery."

"The fact that there is no acknowledgment that there is culpability beyond just Israel makes it clear that the union is picking a side, and that's disgraceful when you consider it is a union representing thousands of journalists whose job it is to be impartial observers." 

CMG union member, CBC employee

Palestinians carry sacks of flour taken from a humanitarian aid convoy en route to Gaza City on Aug. 1. (Jehad Alshrafi/The Associated Press)

 

The Canadian Media Guild is a trade union that represents 6,000 Canadian media workers; its statement released on Thursday decried the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, and its related impact on journalism and journalists. The statement made quite an impression on some of the union's members when several of them, perturbed at their union's statement, pointed out that just one side of the conflict was on the receiving end of blame; the other implicitly cleared. 

 

The fact that the CMG statement called out the government of Israel to permit access to Gaza by international journalists so they could report on the situation, after several news agencies had reported recently on the harsh conditions freelance journalists face, whom they rely on for on-the-ground reporting inside Gaza, spurred criticism by the union members who took exception to the accusations of inhumane treatment of Gazan civilians. 

 

"In response to feedback from members, we clarified the language in the statement to underscore our call for 'all parties to cease hostilities' and to reaffirm our focus on the safety of media professionals", the union clarified, as a result. The accusation remains intact in the updated version of the release, but a postscript added below it reads: "Finally, the CMG calls on all parties to end the hostilities and cease the inhumane treatment of civilians in the region". Adding: "This communication has been adjusted for clarification". 

Journalists in Gaza

July 31, 2025 / News

The humanitarian tragedy in Gaza has been incredibly hard to witness.  But we would not know the extent of the starvation and civilian casualties were it not for the brave journalists who are still living in Gaza, covering the events as they unfold.  Many journalists in Gaza have died during this war, either actively at work or seeking shelter with their families. 

Over the past week, the world has relied on the work of remaining journalists in Gaza to document the starvation and continued bombings, even as organizations have raised alarms over the declining health of these media workers and their families.  AP, AFP, Reuters, and the BBC have revealed the horrific state their freelance journalists are currently living in, some too weak to work.  

CBC/Radio-Canada also depends on the work of freelancers in Gaza, and the CMG has been assured by management that measures to support their well-being are a priority.  Indeed, CBC and Radio-Canada news leadership have signed on to a call to allow independent media into the country.

This week, the Canadian government pledged $40 million to support Palestinians in Gaza. The world is watching because of these brave journalists who continue to show us what is really happening. 

The Canadian Media Guild joins with other media organizations, humanitarian groups, and federal governments in calling for the Israeli government to immediately allow unrestricted access to the territory for international journalists so that the world can clearly witness the situation on the ground, and allow the flow of necessary food and supplies provided by international humanitarian organizations into the territory.

Finally, the CMG calls on all parties to end the hostilities and cease the inhumane treatment of civilians in the region.

*This communication has been adjusted for clarification 

According to the complaining  union member -- along with other members who expressed similar concerns -- the original statement had the potential to make reporting more difficult for its members who report on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. This episode is an example of the kind of controversy that tends to surface with issues of internal conflict arising when unions representing diverse memberships take the initiative on divisive issues in public stances, outside their core mandates. 

 

 

Unions have altered their concerns from their origins as workers' rights groups representing the trades in their struggles between socialism and capitalism. Currently unions have represented increasingly diverse workers in more industries and have taken on clear political and divisive social issues as part of their unwritten mandate. Issues such as international conflicts, abortion rights, apartheid and transgender rights have all come under the purview of trade unions, pleasing some members, and irritating others in their commitment to social activism. 

 

A particularly polarizing stand between union members and their union executives acting on their behalf without regard to how such commitments would affect their total membership, and divert from the pressing issues of member-representation on matters that affect unionized workers' welfare, has been the popularized cause of Palestinian 'victimhood', and more particularly, the conflict in Gaza which the terrorist Palestinian group Hamas inflicted on Gaza by its October 7, 2023 invasion of southern Israel where thousands of terrorists committed mass atrocities. 

 

Reporters out in the field doing their professional work and attempting to remain impartial are not appreciative of their unions advocating for particular issues or political parties. As the collective bargaining representative for workers at the English and French groups of CBC, Canadian workers at news agencies the Canadian Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and some TV and radio stations, the CMG is held to a certain standard.

 

The union released a statement urging governments in May to prioritize the safety of journalists and media workers "as deaths rise in the Israel-Gaza conflict". In early July the union called for immediate protection of journalists in Iran. 

Demonstrators and journalists gather to protest against hunger in the Rimal district of Gaza City on July 19, 2025. (Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP)

"The reports in Süddeutsche Zeitung and Bild appeared to bolster that case. Süddeutsche Zeitung cited media sources and Gerhard Paul, a photography expert who has studied images from Israel and Gaza for 25 years, to argue that Hamas propaganda and biased reporting shape much of the photo coverage coming out of Gaza."

"Journalist Christopher Resch of Reporters Without Borders told the paper that “little gets past Hamas” of what reporters are able to share from the ground — while adding that photographers providing subjects with certain instructions to frame an image is an acceptable practice, “so long as it roughly reflects reality.”"

Times of Israel 

 

"[The CMG] believes it is essential to recognize and respond to the impact global conflicts have on both our members and media workers worldwide."

"The statement issued by CMG is part of that ongoing commitment to advocate for the protection of all media workers, regardless of location or employer. It called for humanitarian access, journalistic freedom, and an end to hostilities; values that are at the core of our work as a union."

"Our intention was not to take a political stance, but to draw attention to the unacceptable conditions faced by journalists and reaffirm the essential role they play on keeping the world informed."

Andreea Mihai, spokeswoman, Canadian Media Guild