CBC Acknowledges Need for Critical View on NGOs
On 2 December 2015, you published your response to a complaint filed by Honest Reporting Canada. It dealt with claims of bias and factual problems in a CBC interview with a representative of the Israeli NGO “Breaking the Silence” discussing the 2014 Gaza war.
In the reply from the program’s producer, CBC acknowledged that certain aspects of the segment could have been conducted in a better manner. Most importantly, CBC agreed they “might have better explained the inherent leaning of the group” in a way that would be “helpful to our audience.”
The question of framing with respect to a group’s activities and agenda is not unique to this case, and when NGOs are involved, it becomes critical: NGOs are extremely powerful political players in democratic societies, but many times they lack any democratic accountability or transparency.
It is this context that NGO Monitor plays a significant and unique role, which, when consulted, provides crucial context and analysis. We are an independent Jerusalem-based research institute, specializing in the role that NGOs play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. NGO Monitor was formed in order to increase transparency regarding NGOs, and hold them accountable for their words and actions.
NGO Monitor provides politicians, journalists and the general public with the critical questions – and answers. Our information, readily available online and fully sourced, uses public records, statements, and activities to address issues generally absent in dealing with political NGOs.
On this basis, we encourage the CBC to use the resources we provide in future articles or interviews relating to NGOs in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In addition, Professor Gerald Steinberg, president of NGO Monitor, is available to provide independent analysis of groups such as “Breaking the Silence.”
Thank you,
Aaron Kalman
NGO Monitor