Gaza City. Photo: David Berkowitz.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio’s “Information Morning Fredericton” program elected to air an unsubstantiated allegation claiming Israel intentionally used chemical weapons on Palestinian children in Gaza in the 2008-09 war with Hamas. The allegation came during a segment that aired April 26th, about an exhibit curated in Fredericton depicting fake Gaza art.

Media watchdog Honest Reporting Canada spotted the interview with Tracy Glynn of the Fredericton Peace Coalition, who stated the following in the interview: “The exhibit depicts one of the most brutal events that happened in the history of Gaza with the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead which killed over a thousand people in Gaza including 320 children, so this exhibit, done by children who survived that air raid, use of chemical weapons, it depicts what they see happening in their lives, the events that happened as well as the aftermath of that…”

Honest Reporting Canada pointed out that CBC Journalistic Standards and Policies dictates the following in the “Responsibility and accountability related to interviews” category (emphasis added): “CBC takes responsibility for the consequences of its decision to publish a person’s statements in the context it chooses. When we present a person’s statements in support of our reporting of facts, we ensure that the statements have been diligently checked. In the case of comments made by a person expressing an honest opinion, we ensure that the opinion is grounded in facts bearing on a matter of public interest.”

Listen to audio of the CBC segment here.