February 27, 2026 – for immediate release
The National NewsMedia Council dismissed two parts of a complaint and another part with reservation about an April 22, 2025, opinion article published by the National Post.
Eli Jany filed a complaint with the NNC citing multiple concerns about a column published under the headline, “More than 300 candidates sign on to campaign pushed by radical anti-Israel group.” The complainant stated that several of the claims made by the columnist were inaccurate, misleading, and biased. In particular, the complainant argued that the column’s statement about the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) having links to Palestinian terrorism was misleading.
Further, the complainant disagreed with the columnist’s assertion that the article’s reference to a pro-Palestinian platform, “Vote Palestine,” was inaccurate in stating it “demands broad Government of Canada sanctions on anything connected to Israel, including ‘cultural and academic exchanges.”
Finally, the complainant stated that the column’s description of the Palestinian Youth Movement as a “radical anti-Israel group” misrepresented the group’s mandate.
The news organization responded to each of the complainant’s concerns. Regarding the column’s statements that some employees of UNRWA had links to terrorism groups or activities, the news organization cited several examples of past reporting they had published that documented such connections.
Regarding the second concern expressed by the complainant, the news organization argued that the “Vote Palestine” campaign literature adopts a broad definition of arms and illegal Israeli actions. The news organization stated that the group appears to ask for the federal government to impose sanctions on any Israeli institution with even a peripheral connection to a West Bank settlement. For this reason, the news organization explained, the writer is making the point that
the platform effectively bans all connections with Israeli institutions.
Lastly, the news organization cited various examples of the Palestinian Youth Movement’s activities that expressed support for the destruction of Israel. The news organization also reiterated that the article was appropriately labeled as “opinion.”
Generally, the NNC will not consider a complaint about opinion writing except in the case of an error of fact.
On the matter regarding the links between UNRWA employees to terrorism, Council considered relevant and publicly available information, including, for example, information from the UNRWA Commissioner-General at the time acknowledging the dismissal of some staff members who had been under investigation for possible involvement in the attacks.
While the Council acknowledges that readers may consider these connections minimal in light of the size of the international aid organization, the statements are based on widely available information, which included news coverage by numerous Canadian and international news organizations. Ultimately, individual readers are left to decide how they interpret these data points and whether or not they are sufficient or persuasive in the context of the column’s argument. For this reason, Council dismissed this portion of the complaint.
In considering the complainant’s second concern, Council reviewed the relevant materials, including the information on the Vote Palestine campaign website, which advocates for “…banning all engagement with illegal Israeli settlements, including financial investments, trade in goods or services and cultural and academic exchanges.”
Council agreed that the column’s general perspective and argument falls within the latitude of opinion writing. While the Council does not endorse a specific view on the issues, as that is not its role, it accepted the news organization’s explanation that the opinion piece was drawing a general conclusion about the extent to which it is possible to separate activities within Israel and the settlements more broadly.
The NNC consistently recognizes the wide latitude afforded to opinion writers.. At the same time, Council emphasized the need to ensure that opinion writing does not mislead readers on the facts.
In its deliberation, Council accepted that the statement may be read as the broad interpretation of the political platform, and its implications, from the perspective of the columnist. For this reason, Council dismissed the complaint about accuracy, albeit with the reservation that opinion writing should take care to avoid overly broad or imprecise language that may mislead readers on the facts at hand.
Finally, Council considered the complainant’s concerns that the column declares the Palestinian Youth Movement as a “radical anti-Israel group.”
The NNC has long upheld the journalistic practice of giving columnists and opinion writers wide latitude to express unpopular views. Writers have prerogative over word choice and may use strong language to voice their opinion.
Council recognizes that individuals will have a different interpretation of information presented based on personal and ideological viewpoints. This is a product of a pluralistic democratic society where individual opinions can be freely expressed. For this reason, Council dismissed this portion of the complaint.