INVESTIGATION — Journalists denounce pressure from the pro-Israel group Honest Reporting Canada

Several Canadian journalists told La Converse about the pressure they say they are being subjected to by the pro-Israel charity Honest Reporting Canada. They denounce online denunciation campaigns, which they say they are increasingly victims of since the start of a new cycle of violence in Gaza.

October 7, 2023 — more than a year ago, attacks coordinated by Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis. Hamas also took 251 people hostage, 97 of whom are still being held to this day. Following this assault, the government of Benjamin Netanyahu gave the Israeli army a mission: “eliminate Hamas.” The operations carried out in the Gaza Strip have so far caused more than 42,000 Palestinian deaths in a situation so serious that a UN Commission of Inquiry believes that the Israeli government is responsible for “war crimes and crimes against humanity,” and Hamas for “war crimes.”

In Canada, more than 8,000 km away, this tragedy is echoing. Here, some pro-Israel organizations are engaging in a war of a different kind: that of information. Among them, Honest Reporting Canada (HRC), registered as a charity since 2019 in Canada, defines its mission as follows: “Israel is at the heart of a battle for public opinion, fought primarily through the media. To ensure that Israel is represented fairly and accurately, Honest Reporting monitors the media.” The organization targets journalists, experts, and columnists, but also students and university professors.

Its director general, Mike Fegelman, believes that the Jewish community “was not doing enough” to denounce anti-Israel biases, and assures that he wanted to “create a digital army for Israel” in an interview with Thej.ca.

“They encourage their thousands of subscribers to write to us”

Many journalists want to share their experiences with Honest Reporting Canada, as long as they are guaranteed anonymity. This shows how sensitive the subject is for these media professionals, who say they are afraid of the consequences on their career, of being stigmatized, of being harassed or of being excluded from certain subjects as a result of their testimony...

After the publication of an article on a pro-Palestinian demonstration, Dan*, a journalist for a major Montreal daily, received several dozen emails. Every day, new messages denigrating his work were sent to him. “Honest Reporting's mode of action is to publish an article on their site indicating your name, media, and what they're accusing you of... They encourage their thousands of subscribers to write to us, and they also send emails to your management asking for changes to the article. This is an approach that I don't like at all, especially since the requests are unfounded. (...) It only adds to the stress when we are trying to do our job,” says Dan. According to this journalist with a well-established reputation, “their aim is not really to make changes (in the articles, editor's note), but to discredit the newspaper and the journalist by sharing this massively on social networks.”

Another journalist from the same daily is frustrated by this: “I am very attentive to criticisms when they come from reputable sources who point out errors in my copy, which I correct if necessary — which did not happen on this subject — but I tend to ignore criticism that comes from such a marginal group defending radical opinions.” It is however becoming difficult to ignore this pressure, which is affecting more and more media professionals across the country.

In Ottawa, a journalist targeted by Honest Reporting who does not want to take the “risk” of testifying, confided in an email: “I always respond to constructive, or at least polite, criticism that I receive. I question myself and if, at the end of the exchange with the person, with my management or colleagues from whom I ask for an external opinion, I think that I should make a change to my article, I am happy to do so. It's the same for most journalists,” assures Sean*. “It can only work if we or a legitimate body are contacted before launching a defamatory vendetta that can affect our reputation, even if the accusations are false. It seems to me that before accusing someone of anti-Semitism publicly and in packs, that's the least we can do,” he insists.

Journalists victims of online pressure campaigns

Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, La Presse, Montreal Gazette, CBC, Le Devoir, Radio-Canada, Calgary Herald, CTV, City News, Edmonton Journal, National Post, National Post, The Guardian, Winnipeg Sun... Every day, Honest Reporting publishes two to eight “action alerts” on its website, aimed at one or another of these information actors. Print media, radio, television, everything is screened to “ensure that Israel is represented in a fair and reliable manner,” says the HRC website. The organization says it wants to “question anti-Jewish rhetoric, especially when antisemitism is hidden behind a mask of anti-Israel criticism.”

Journalists are also mentioned on the HRC website and identified with their photo, the logo of their media and the words “Action Alert.” HRC, which claims to have more than 60,000 members, encourages them to write to the targeted authors. The journalists we met liken this method to “propaganda” spread on HRC social networks.

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“Since they publicly stigmatized me, gave out my email — and considering all the messages I received, I don't know what else they could do, so I prefer to remain anonymous. But I am happy that we are finally talking about it! I have heard a lot of colleagues complain about it, but no one really dares to speak up to oppose what they are doing,” explains Helena*, a reporter for a television channel in Quebec.

A few months ago, Helena discovered that Honest Reporting Canada published a post about a report she made during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. “I knew it would happen one day... Before, their actions were quite limited, but since October 7, we have all seen a strong mobilization on their part. Since I often cover these issues, I could not escape them,” says the young woman. Every hour, she receives new emails. “Some simply use the model proposed by Honest Reporting, but others are personalized with messages like: 'Shame on you,' 'You are spreading Hamas propaganda,' 'You should be fired immediately'...” confides the journalist.

“Seeing all this, I didn't know what to do; I asked myself if I had done something wrong, if I should have done otherwise; it was unsettling for me. Finally, my colleagues reassured me that I had done a good job and that I had nothing to blame myself for. Honest Reporting takes the smallest thing, twists it and throws fire at it, it's so ridiculous... Because now everything is antisemitic for them. Everything, really everything!” says an exasperated Helena.

To verify her testimony, La Converse watched the report in question and read the article published by Honest Reporting Canada. HRC's concerns focus on elements that are beyond the journalist's control, such as a sign visible in the background with the word “Intifada” written on it, or on the media's editorial choices, in particular the “public interest” in covering a demonstration that the organization considers “hateful.”

However, is it the role of a charity to suggest to the media what events to cover or not? “To say that there is no public interest, you have to fasten your hat to prove it! Especially since this is an event that takes place in the public arena, so it would be very, very, very difficult, even impossible, to prove that there is no public interest,” analyzes Éric-Pierre Champagne, president of the Fédération profesionnelle des Journalistes du Québec (FPJQ).

Helena has no plans to give in to pressure. “I think that, if we want to do our job properly and regain public trust, we have to stick to our ethical rules, and compromises are not possible. They want to silence the Palestinians and that is not acceptable. It is not acceptable for Palestinians, it is not acceptable for Ukrainians, just as it is not acceptable to attack Jews for any reason. It is not acceptable for anyone! They try to create fear and put their priorities first. And that shows how important it is for journalists to continue to do what they do,” she said.

She assures that she can count on the support of her management, which has decided not to follow up on Honest Reporting Canada's accusations for the time being. The organization asked the journalist to forward each email she receives from this organization in order to be able to react in case of threats.

In other newsrooms, however, things don't go as well.

“My report was deleted overnight”

“When they launched this campaign against me, I had never heard of them. It was the end of 2021, and my inbox was awash with messages. I had to search for myself to find out that it was Honest Reporting. It was finally a colleague who sent me their article,” recalls Iman Kassam, a video reporter who recently left CTV News.

In her more than 14-year-long career, she assures that she has never experienced such relentlessness. She said she was all the more surprised that her video report had no connection to Israel. “It was a report on the Wet'suwet'en protests, which took place at the end of 2021. It had nothing to do with the Middle East, it was about Indigenous peoples, defenders of Indigenous lands,” says Iman Kassam. So how did a demonstration for First Nations rights end up in the crosshairs of HRC?

“In fact, one of the people I interviewed was wearing a keffiyeh and an orange flag that read: “Children's lives matter.” It was a visual symbol of support and respect for the original inhabitants of this country, and that is what they are accusing me of”, assures the journalist.

In its 2021 publication, Honest Reporting Canada refers to this interviewee, a man, as a “pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protester” based solely on his appearance. Here is the content of this protester's speech in the video: “The least we can do is stay in solidarity with them and show people that this land is rightfully theirs and that it will always be theirs, regardless of how many immigrants came here and no matter how many years have passed.”

HRC's intervention earned Iman Kassam several weeks of what she considers to be “online harassment.” Emails mentioned, for example, that she “should be fired” or that “people like (her) should not exist.”

Iman Kassam indicates that after seeking the help of her superiors in order to know the procedure to follow to deal with all these messages, she was allegedly confronted with their silence. “I sent them the campaign that was launched against me and asked them to send the organization a letter of formal notice, because I believe that this is not acceptable, especially since I had already been a victim of cyberbullying before by young people on the extreme right — without help from them either —, but I never got an answer”, she laments.

“Every time an email came in, I sent it to my managers. On several occasions, I asked my managers at CTV News four things: to send Honest Reporting a letter of formal notice, to have an open dialogue to find out if there were any rules against showing a keffiyeh or a Palestinian flag on television, whether they supported my report, and, fourth, whether it was possible to ask management to have a conversation about what was going on. Again, I never got a response.”

The journalist says that she had to deal with the situation alone. “It's scary to feel that we're going to have to go through this alone, under the pretext that it's part of the job. No, it's not part of the job! I have been a journalist for 14 years and I have only experienced this massive harassment while at CTV News. It is a business risk, but the company must take responsibility and protect its employees. The only thing they finally told me was that I could file a complaint, by myself of course! ”

The story does not end there, since several months after the broadcast of his video report, Iman Kassam discovered that it had disappeared from the television channel's website. “It was removed overnight, you can't find it online anymore. So the video was removed, the quotes were removed,” she says bitterly. “I was never informed about it, never asked if it was acceptable, never asked if it was what I wanted or needed, and never given the opportunity to rewrite it, even though I don't see why I should have done it. It's an incredible story... everything was done in secret.”

Through research using the Wayback Machine tool, a kind of web page archive library, La Converse was able to see that significant changes had been made to its site by CTV News. The signature of the journalist, who shot the report with a colleague, was removed, and all parts of the video that showed her or the protester with the keffiyeh were also removed. While it is difficult to date these changes precisely, it can be established that they occurred between November 28, 2021, when the online report was first published, and January 18, 2022, when the web page on which they appear was first archived. That's just a few days after HRC launched its email campaign targeting the journalist.

A major blow for the journalist who was still working at CTV's Montreal editorial team when she realized it. “In doing so, CTV not only violated its own correction and retraction policy, but also silenced the voices of defenders of Indigenous lands. A lot of cases of silencing and erasing have occurred because of Honest Reporting. It's incredibly unfair, and it really hits the heart of our democracy,” the journalist said.

Iman Kassam has since left CTV News to do academic research on how Gen Z Canadians assess the credibility and trust of news. Contacted about this report, which they removed from their site, CTV News has not responded to our requests to date.

The hummus of discord

In Toronto, another journalist also got into trouble after being targeted by Honest Reporting. “Samira Mohyeddin is the host of Unforked, a national radio program that analyzes the foods we eat to reveal their cultural and political dimensions. She is a journalist, documentary director and producer of the show The Current, on CBC Radio One, which has received numerous awards. [...] For over 16 years, Samira has co-owned and operated a restaurant and market in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood with her brother and sister. It is by combining her two passions, food and journalism, that she remains curious, well-informed and well-nourished.” These few lines, gleaned from the Canadian public broadcaster's website, summarize the career of the woman who resigned in November 2023.

Samira Mohyeddin is one of only two journalists, along with Iman Kassam, who did not request anonymity as part of this investigation.

She was targeted by HRC as early as 2018 for a talk show bringing together young Israelis and Palestinians on the theme of the “path to peace.” “These were children who were born in this conflict. They had never experienced anything but the occupation, you know, and it was a great discussion. In fact, we received messages from across Canada, from people telling us how wonderful it was to listen to Palestinians and Israelis talking like this. But Honest Reporting Canada didn't like that and sent emails to my management,” she recalls.

Then, in summer 2021, it's an episode of the weekly podcast Unforked, hosted by Samira Mohyeddin, which garnered her a new wave of messages on social networks. At the heart of the debate: hummus, this Middle Eastern dish whose star is the chickpea. The journalist's guests, a sociologist from an Israeli university, a Palestinian actress, a young Canadian-Lebanese woman who uses her grandmother's hummus recipe and a Palestinian activist journalist who has written a book on cooking in Gaza, chatted for nearly 30 minutes. The discussion focused on their relationship to this popular dish whose family recipe is passed on from generation to generation, on their opinion on hummus variants with different non-traditional flavours and on the disputes over the authorship of hummus. In the last quarter of the podcast, the debate focuses on the fact that Israel has declared hummus to be a national dish and the political implications of such an initiative.

The same day, HRC launched an “alert” and asked its subscribers to launch an email campaign. The organization believes that “the series portrayed Israelis as 'colonialists' and occupants of Indigenous Palestinian land, responsible for the erasure of so-called historic Palestinian communities” and criticized the presenter for having “characterized the revival of Israel in 1948 as a 'Nakba', a provocative and hateful term that means 'disaster' in Arabic.” According to the organization, “this CBC program denied Jewish independence in the Land of Israel and described the creation of Israel as a disaster, not as the miracle and blessing that it really is.”

Accusations that Samira Mohyeddin rejects: “My show is about gastronomy. It's not a news program where I need to be balanced, it's a show about food! It was a bit absurd, but you know, that's what Honest Reporting does, which has one of the most Orwellian names you can imagine, does because honesty is probably the last thing that characterizes them! ”

Initially, CBC's senior current affairs director, Alison Broddle, told HRC that no mistakes had been made. “We ensured that Israeli and Palestinian perspectives were represented by knowledgeable guests who had the opportunity and the necessary airtime to express their opinions and openly agree or disagree with each other,” says Alison Broddle in the report by ombudsman.

Not satisfied with this response, HRC then turned to CBC ombudsman Jack Nagler, an independent mediator between the public broadcaster and its listeners. In a detailed report, he considered that “for a listener prepared by the introduction to learn more about the 'debate' (i.e. the origin of hummus, editor's note), it was not a balanced program,” but he rejected all the other grounds of complaint submitted by HRC, recalling that the guests, who are not journalists, “were perfectly entitled to have these opinions and to make these statements”.

About the term "Nakba,” the ombudsman specified the following: “It was not Samira Mohyeddin who described the creation of Israel as a disaster. It was clearly an attempt to define a word that many listeners may not be familiar with. I think CBC was right to do it.” Jack Nagler finally concluded that the episode was in violation of CBC policy on the grounds that the introduction of the subject might suggest to the audience that it would be a different debate.

“If you read the report from the ombudsman, you will see that he does not agree with any of their criticisms and that in the end he throws a bone at them to calm them down. I didn't like to discover that, I don't think he was right in his assessment and I found it ridiculous,” says Samira Mohyeddin.

For its part, Honest Reporting Canada called the decision a “victory” on its website and social networks: “It is important to note that the Ombudsman's report testifies to the power and impact of Honest Reporting Canada subscribers, who denounce the problematic coverage of anti-Israel events and who have contributed to raising the awareness of CBC management about this problematic episode.”

“We end up not proposing certain topics anymore”

Samira Mohyeddin believes that this type of situation pushes some journalists to self-censor. “I left CBC, but it's not because of this particular story. I left to do something else and I'm glad I'm not there right now because I wouldn't be able to handle that. Today, I have the freedom to tell the truth, which is much more important to me than a salary. I did not do journalism to lie or to advertise a country, I am not paid for that,” she insists. “Talking to you today is taking a risk, and I don't think that many of my colleagues will speak openly. But it's important,” Samira Mohyeddin says bluntly.

According to the first Canadian survey report on online hate against journalists, conducted by Ipsos in 2021, 31% of them admit to having reduced coverage of certain topics after being harassed, 23% say they do not disseminate certain information, and 15% admit to having abandoned article topics. These figures provide a glimpse of the harmful effects of the strategy adopted by Honest Reporting Canada for the profession.

“Managers say all the time that they don't want to deal with hundreds of emails, which is something that invariably happens in these types of situations — and HRC knows that very well by doing so,” said Samira Mohyeddin. "What happens is that we end up not offering certain items. You end up not offering certain topics because you tell yourself that they don't want to deal with emails, and you don't want to be seen as the journalist who is always a headache. I never thought about it in those terms, I didn't care, but I know that's what happens to a lot of journalists.”

“I really feel like CEOs think a lot about what people are going to say and are sacrificing the truth on the altar of fairness when it comes to Israel and Palestine,” she continues. It's obvious! ”

Asked about this specific case, Chuck Thompson, director of public affairs at CBC, said the following: “The ombudsman's work is independent of CBC News, which respects his opinion and has no comments to make on his revisions. The CBC News correction process does not depend on criticism or requests for corrections made by anyone. If we learn and confirm that an error exists on our platforms, we correct it. However, if a person or organization claims that an error exists and after verification we determine that there is no error, we simply respond to complainants that there is nothing to correct. There are no negotiations.” As for ombudsman Jack Nagler, he told us he was “not in a position to be able to participate" in our reporting.

CBC News Director Tracy Seeley answered our question about the pressures exerted by Honest Reporting and how to defend journalists at a conference organized on August 27, 2024 by the Center for Freedom of Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University on the theme “The Battle to Cover the War in Gaza.” “We tell our journalists that they just need to focus on accuracy and having accurate information and don't have to worry about complaints. (...) It's difficult when people are targeted directly by groups, and I would say we're still trying to figure out how best to protect our journalists,” she said.

Journalist organizations denounce Honest Reporting Canada

Faced with these testimonies, faced with the attitude of some editors who seem to be gradually giving in to the pressures of Honest Reporting Canada, what is the position of the federations and organizations that represent the profession?

“It's okay to be critical of the work of the media. I have no problem with that, the media is not perfect and we are in a democracy. But in this specific case, we are well beyond criticism. When you put a photo of a journalist, you send out their email address, and then you invite people to harass them, you are downright intimidating,” said the president of the FPJQ, Pierre-Éric Champagne. “I denounce these actions on behalf of the federation. I find it extremely worrying that an organization like this exists.” He assures that the FPJQ is keeping an eye on the actions taken by HRC against journalists in Quebec and says he is considering the responses that the organization could give to these practices. “Obviously, we must resist these pressures, we must continue to do our job as journalists,” judges Éric-Pierre Champagne.

“I denounce these actions on behalf of the federation.” - Éric-Pierre Champagne, president of the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec.

‍At the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), President Brent Jolly has collected numerous testimonies from journalists targeted by the pro-Israel group and is also very critical of the methods used by HRC. According to him, they represent “serious threats”.

He believes that, since October 7, the situation in Israel and Gaza has transformed into “a form of information warfare.” According to him, Honest Reporting Canada “uses its community of followers like an army — if you can call it that — in order to advance its priorities (...). You know, I'm not necessarily really worried about what Honest Reporting puts on their website, I'm more worried about people and what they do after the fact. It's not democracy, it's dictatorship,” the president of the CAJ said.

An observation shared by his Quebec counterpart. “These are attempts to intimidate and muzzle, in a way, which can have pernicious effects in the long run. The objective is to ensure that these subjects are no longer covered by the media. This can lead to a form of self-censorship, which is not desirable, and at the same time shows that such tactics can work.”

He wants to emphasize that antisemitism is a reality in Canada. “The idea is not to deny that, but you also have to be able to discuss certain topics. There are voices critical of Hamas, there are voices critical of some Palestinian actors, and then there are voices critical of the Israeli government, so all of this has to exist. It is the job of journalists to give a voice to these people,” analyzes the president of the FPJQ.

“I'm not necessarily really worried about what Honest Reporting puts on their website, I'm more worried about people and what they do after the fact. It's not democracy, it's dictatorship.” - Brent Jolly, President of the Canadian Association of Journalists.

To prevent self-censorship from becoming widespread, these two representatives of the profession urge the media to take their “responsibility.” “Generally, when a journalist works for a media, he must assume the responsibility of defending his newspaper. We also know the difficult situation of the media in Canada... It may not be their priority to invest thousands of dollars in legal fees and court fees. But we are doing work that is constantly in the public eye, important and difficult work. Therefore, it is essential to provide the means, the tools, to do the job and also protect journalists,” analyzes the president of the FPJQ.

At CAJ, Brent Jolly assures that he is working on the issue: “So right now I am looking to upgrade digital security so that journalists are protected. The aim is for us to be ready to face these problems in 2025, which is going to be a year rich in elections, so with a lot of pressure. If we are not prepared for these challenges, then I will have failed in my work.” This is the promise made to the entire profession.

Ongoing responses

Seen from Israel, the situation also worries some media actors. Gideon Levy, an Israeli journalist and author, answers our Honest Reporting Canada question directly from Tel Aviv: “The Israeli and Jewish propaganda system made a very sophisticated and strategic decision a few years ago — it hasn't just begun — to label any criticism of Israel or the occupation as antisemitic. And it's a huge success! (...) The International Court of Justice is antisemitic, the judges are antisemitic, the media are antisemitic... I think it has become a problem of freedom of expression and democracy in Europe, the United States and Canada”, assures the person who writes a column in the newspaper Haaretz. “Most people who criticize Israel are thoughtful people, and labeling them as antisemites is a strategy to silence them. I saw the media give in. They are paralyzed by these accusations and by the fact that they may be accused of antisemitism. I think it's time to say that no one will tell us who is antisemitic and who is not,” insists Gideon Levy.

Echoing these considerations, on 16 October last on its social networks, J-Source, a Canadian platform dedicated to journalism and media news, invited Canadian journalists targeted by Honest Reporting Canada to report these threats using a Form online, nominatively or anonymously.

“HRC is committed to launching slanderous and bad faith attacks against groups of media professionals and others in order to derail their work and tarnish their reputation. As a newsroom specializing in press freedom research, we closely monitor the consequences of targeted harassment campaigns and their impact on journalistic work and freedom of expression,” explains Steph Wechsler, editor-in-chief of J-Source and of the Canada Press Freedom Project. This project collects data on the nature and prevalence of press freedom violations experienced by media workers in 12 categories, including online threats.

Honest Reporting Canada has in fact qualified The Breach of being a “so-called 'independent media'" that is "anti-Israel” on its website on 15 October. “This is part of a long-standing Honest Reporting model that baselessly defames critics of Israel, and so it won't deter us from doing quality journalism,” said Martin Lukacs, editor-in-chief of The Breach. "It is distressing that they say they have contacted government officials to deprive us of eligibility for the small amount of public funding we receive. But as we do award-winning and credible journalism, we doubt that their lobbying will have any impact,” he continues.

At the same time, two associations, Just Peace Advocates and Writers Against the War on Gaza Toronto (WAWOG TO), announced the filing of an official complaint with the Canada Revenue Agency against Honest Reporting Canada on October 11. They are calling for an audit of the charity because they believe that “its activities could be contrary to Canadian law,” says a press release. 

These associations want the federal agency to remove the charitable status of HRC, as was the case for Jewish National Fund Canada and Ne'eman Canada on August 10, following an audit. A case to follow.

On August 5, August 19, and October 8, La Converse sent interview requests and the right to reply by email to four members of Honest Reporting Canada: Executive Director Mike Fegelman, Digital Director Rick Firth, Regional Director for Quebec Rick Firth, Regional Director for Quebec Jade Firth, Quebec Regional Director Jade Levitt, and Deputy Director Robert Walker. Despite three email reminders, several phone call attempts over the past few months, and a message sent to Mike Fegelman on LinkedIn, to date we have received no response to our interview requests and the right to reply.

* The first name has been changed to ensure the anonymity of the witness.

** An initial version of this article incorrectly stated that the October 7 attacks killed 1,200 Israelis, instead of 1,205.