January 13, 2026 – for immediate release

The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) has upheld one portion of a complaint and dismissed another about the accuracy of statements made in a May 1, 2025 news article published by the Toronto Sun.

The article reported on a letter that had recently been sent by an advocacy group that called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to take action to address antisemitism in Canada.

David Kattenburg filed a complaint with the NNC stating the news article was “deeply partial, biased, editorialized, unfair, misleading, and dishonest.” The complainant specifically argued the news article did not conform to journalistic standards because it failed to “give fair representation to all sides at issue” and to “stick to the facts without editorial opinion or comment.”

The complainant expressed specific concern about the news story’s usage of the phrase “violent, far-left radicals” to describe individuals who have committed acts of anti-Jewish hatred, at Jewish schools, community centres, synagogues and businesses with protests, vandalism and more.

The news organization responded by stating they disagreed with the complaint’s concerns about the article incorrectly providing fair representation to all sides at issue. They stated that incidents of anti-semitism and violence targeting Jewish schools, businesses and individuals have been reported on extensively in recent months.

The news organization provided the Council with numerous links to media reports published by the Sun, and other news organizations, as evidence to support their argument that there has been documentation of so-called ‘far-left’ violence.

In reviewing the complaint, the Council considered three factors. First, the Council reviewed the nature of the article. Second, it considered the sources selected. Third, it considered whether the usage of the phrase “violent, far-left radicals” was appropriate language for news reporting.

To the first factor, Council acknowledged the fact that the news story was a brief about an advocacy organization that has publicly expressed concern about the recent rise in antisemitic behaviour. The article’s headline clearly articulates this news story is focused solely on the advocacy organization’s interest in engaging with Canada’s then-new prime minister.

Given this specific focus, Council agreed that the story cited relevant sources to animate and contextualize the advocacy organization’s concerns and activities.

The NNC has long maintained that journalists and news organizations have the prerogative over the selection of sources they deem relevant to ensure the public’s understanding of the issue at hand. Council acknowledged the concerns expressed by the complainant about the inclusion of different perspectives. At the same time, the news organization has determined the focus of the news story, which is in accordance with its editorial prerogative.

On this first portion of the complaint, Council determined that no journalistic standards were breached.

Council, however, agreed with the complainant that additional consideration of the article’s use of language merited further analysis. Council, as such, proceeded to review the statement referring to “violent, far-left radicals,” both by itself and in the wider context of the news article. An ordinary reading of the article indicates the statement is made directly in reference to individuals who have promoted, or engaged in, anti-Jewish hatred.

In their response to the complainant, the news organization provided multiple examples of news stories that reflect acts of anti-Jewish hate and/or violence.

In reviewing these materials, Council considered whether the use of the phrase “violent, far-left radicals” constitutes an appropriate use of language in a story labelled as a ‘news’ story.

The Canadian Press (CP) standards for news writing emphasize clarity, accuracy, and consistency in language use. These standards promote, for example, using plain language, avoiding jargon, and ensuring information is accessible to a broad audience.

CP standards also emphasize impartiality, which requires that news reports do not promote any particular viewpoint on public matters. This stands in contrast to columnists, who are permitted to express their opinions in published articles.

The NNC has frequently stated that news articles should take care to avoid opining on facts and, instead, report on them in a straightforward manner. For example, in considering a previous complaint about the use of the term “far-right activist,” Council warned against oversimplified language in news reporting.

In its deliberation on this portion of the complaint, Council considered the news article, the original letter submitted by the advocacy organization, and a number of stories provided by the news organization that reported on incidents of antisemitism, to support the use of the term “far-left radicals.”

While this was helpful for Council’s understanding of the rationale for the publication of the statement in question, directors agreed that the statement in question was an assertion by the journalist reporting the story and not drawn from a quoted source. Further, the article did not contain information that supported the specific characterization or evidence of particular ideological motivations for the incidents cited by the news organization in its response to the complaint.

For these reasons, Council agreed to uphold this portion of the complaint around language use in news reporting.