Blacklock’s Reporter
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
https://www.blacklocks.ca/call-cbc-news-bias-systemic/
CBC News coverage of the Middle East is systemically pro-Palestinian with omissions, “emotional language” and selective facts that skew the audience’s perception of Israel, a B’nai Brith Canada report said yesterday. The network has denied its coverage is biased.
“Bias is neither occasional nor confined to a single mechanism,” said the report. The finding followed an audit of hundreds of CBC News stories on the Hamas war over the period from October 1, 2024 to last April 30.
Fewer than 40 percent of Mideast stories were considered “balanced or neutral,” said the report Structural Patterns In CBC Coverage Of The Israel-Hamas Conflict. Of stories that strayed from plain depictions of fact a majority, 55 percent, were pro-Palestinian, it said.
“Heavy reliance on international humanitarian organizations, foregrounding of humanitarian impact without equivalent causal context, asymmetrical emotional language and selective omission of initiating actions are all practices that fall within standard journalistic norms,” wrote B’nai Brith. “Individually any one of these choices may appear reasonable or even necessary. Taken together and repeated across hundreds of items, they produce a systemic narrative effect.”
“The analysis does not argue the CBC should suppress humanitarian coverage, rely exclusively on official Israeli sources or adopt a particular political stance,” said CBC Coverage. “It demonstrates instead that current editorial routines systematically privilege certain narratives and frames while marginalizing others, even in the absence of intent.”
The report did not detail specific examples. The network’s own ombudsman has cited instances of skewed coverage.
Marie-Philippe Bouchard, CEO of the CBC, in testimony last October 20 at the Commons heritage committee said news reports were unbiased at all times. ““All our shows, especially in the news area, are governed by the same journalistic standards and practices,” she said.
“Cities Are Run By Jews”
“There would be no bias at the CBC?” asked Conservative MP Rachael Thomas (Lethbridge, Alta.). “I am not oblivious to the fact some people claim there is bias but that’s not how we work,” replied Bouchard.
“What is your perception?” asked MP Thomas. “My perception is we are working very hard to try to bring accurate, fact-based news and information to Canadians every day,” replied Bouchard.
“There’s no bias, according to you?” asked MP Thomas. “There’s no bias, according to me,” replied Bouchard.
Access To Information records showed from the first October 7, 2023 killings and kidnappings of Jews in Israel the network’s Director of Journalism Standards ordered staff not to call Hamas “terrorists.” The network’s own ombudsman faulted a story that described the killings as a “surprise attack by Hamas militants” resulting in casualties to both sides as “Israeli airstrikes pounded the Gaza Strip.”
“The language throughout is antiseptic as though this had been a normal clash between two rival military forces,” wrote then-Ombudsman Jack Nagler.
CBC News published an erroneous October 17, 2023 story falsely claiming Israeli rockets destroyed the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza, and last September 16 suspended announcer Elisa Serret, for telling viewers that Jews controlled the United States. “Big cities are run by Jews,” she said. “Hollywood is run by Jews.”
By Staff 