June 10, 2026 – for immediate release

The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) has considered and dismissed a complaint about the disclosure of a conflict of interest and an allegation of bias in a news article published by the National Post.

The article reported on statements made by a spokesperson for the Israeli Defence Forces during a press briefing. The article noted that the reporters present at the press briefing were travelling in the country on a trip sponsored by the Exigent Foundation.

The complainant, Jeff Winch, filed a complaint about the fact that the article did not explicitly state that the journalist covering the briefing was one of the reporters whose trip was sponsored.

The complainant was also concerned that the article showed bias by stating that the figures cited about the number of deaths in Gaza in the article were provided by the “Hamas-run Gaza health ministry.” The complainant argued that this point about the attribution appears to be an attempt to cast skepticism over the figures.

The journalist who wrote the article, Rob Roberts, is the editor-in-chief of the National Post and is a board member of the NNC.

In response to the complaint, the news organization noted that the article clearly stated that the reporters present at the press briefing were travelling on a sponsored trip. The article states that the reporters were “travelling in Israel on a trip sponsored by the Exigent Foundation.”

The news organization also noted that the journalist had disclosed in other news stories that they were on a trip sponsored by the organization cited. In response to the complaint, the news organization stated, “transparency is important — especially on a trip such as this — and his phrasing clearly discloses the sponsorship of the trip.”

The news organization also explained that it believed the story was balanced. For example, it included statements from other nations critical of Israel, and that the attribution of the figures cited were in line with journalistic standards.

In reviewing the issue in question, Council considered journalistic standards related to avoiding and disclosing conflicts of interest.

The Canadian Association of Journalists’ Ethics Guidelines, for example, emphasize the impact that real or perceived conflicts of interest may have on the trustworthiness of reporting, and the importance of disclosing material connections to the subject matter to the appropriate editors and to audiences. The guidelines also state, “We openly tell our audiences when another organization pays our expenses.”

In reviewing the concern about a lack of disclosure, Council considered whether it was clear to audiences that the journalist was one of the reporters “travelling in Israel on a trip sponsored by the Exigent Foundation.”

The full passage from the article reads, “’Israel is only [sic] country in the world that could be attacked on seven fronts and described as being the aggressor,” [Tel Aviv, Lt. Col Nadav Shoshani] told the reporters on Sunday, travelling in Israel on a trip sponsored by the Exigent Foundation.”

Given that the article is based on coverage of the press briefing, it is reasonable to understand that the journalist in this case is including himself in the group of reporters in attendance.

In its deliberation, Council noted that the disclosure in this specific article could have included more details of the sponsorship, including additional details about the Exigent Foundation and its mandate.

Council also observed that the news organization published another article that included more detailed information about the reporter’s sponsored trip 10 days after the article in question, prior to when the complaint was filed. This article included more details about the nature of the trip and the sponsor organization’s mandate.

For example, the article cited by the news organization stated, “Our tour was sponsored and organized by the Exigent Foundation, founded by Toronto entrepreneur Larry Maher to advocate for the Israeli perspective.”

The NNC would emphasize that articles should generally stand alone and clearly communicate information to readers, especially information pertaining to potential or perceived conflicts of interests. In instances of sponsorship, best practice is for stories to include details about the organization and specifics of the sponsorship, and to communicate to readers the relevant measures undertaken to ensure that the sponsorship did not in any way influence the journalistic practices.

The NNC would also emphasize the need to exercise extreme care and caution around the decision to accept sponsorships by third parties in the first place and the impact that it may have on the perception of the credibility of the reporting.

That said, in this case, the scope of the complaint is limited to the disclosure of the sponsorship, rather than the newsroom policy surrounding sponsorships.

In reviewing the statements and relevant materials, Council did not find grounds to support an allegation that the reporting was deliberately obscuring the sponsorship. On the contrary, the article notes that the reporters present were sponsored by the organization.

For the reasons outlined above, Council found that the statement about the sponsorship met the minimum standards of disclosure and dismissed this portion of the complaint.

In reviewing the concern about the attribution of the figures to the “Hamas-run Gaza health ministry,” the NNC did not find grounds to support a complaint about an attribution error or inaccuracy.

While the complainant argued this phrasing was designed to cast skepticism on the figures, the NNC noted that this description has been used widely by other news organizations to clarify that Gaza’s Ministry of Health is an agency in the Hamas-controlled government. Other organizations, including the United Nations, also consider this agency’s figures reliable.

In this case, Council did not find grounds to support a breach of journalistic standards on the basis of accuracy or attribution, and dismissed this portion of the complaint.

It is worth noting that, as is the case with all Council deliberations, any director whose news organization is affiliated with a complaint is automatically recused from all deliberations. Importantly, the NNC considers complaints about allegations of breaches of journalistic standards against the news organization and not individual journalists.