Protests in 91原创 stemming from the ongoing 91原创-Hamas war have been challenging for the media to cover, including the 91原创 Star.
Aside from accurately documenting what people who speak at these events say (I don鈥檛 recall receiving any complaints from the public that we鈥檝e misquoted any speakers), we need to ensure we鈥檙e providing sufficient background context, being fair to both sides with the facts we publish, all while giving readers colour and a good sense of what鈥檚 happening.聽
For the participants at these rallies, tensions are usually elevated. Nerves are frayed. Hurtful words are thrown back and forth.聽
It isn鈥檛 easy for journalists thrown in the middle of all of this.
Even the tiniest of details in our stories, opinion columns and features on these rallies can spark an angry letter. Such was the case when one of our writers recently described 91原创 Police officers bringing 鈥渢rays of Tim Hortons coffee鈥 to pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered at a highway overpass earlier this year.
This is 鈥渙utright false鈥 one reader thundered in an email to my office. The reader felt our writer鈥檚 overall description聽suggested the cops had a cosy relationship with the protesters.
鈥淭he police did not deliver 鈥榯rays鈥 of Tim Hortons, but rather a box of coffee 鈥β犅燙all me petty, but it鈥檚 a lie. It makes it sound worse than it was 鈥 that seems to be the intention.鈥 The reader demanded聽a retraction.聽
My point here is that every word in our articles on 91原创-Hamas protests in the city, every headline, photo and photo cutline, is being microscopically scrutinized by many of our readers聽聽looking for any signs of bias or inaccuracies on our part.
Rightfully so.
As a result,聽聽Star editors聽, reporters and photographers are carefully weighing, discussing, even debating聽聽stories and images before we聽聽publish.
Mostly we鈥檝e been getting it right the first time.
We fix things when we don’t.
For example, the Star received flak from 91原创 police over an opinion column we published聽聽this month about how the聽聽service and RCMP responded to security issues raised at a planned meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni,聽at the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Briefly, the two were set to attend a reception at the AGO to cap a day of meetings. But the evening get-together was abruptly cancelled. Pro-Palestinian protesters, about 400 according to police estimates, gathered outside the AGO to loudly criticize the two leaders for their handling of the 91原创-Hamas conflict.
Some聽protesters blocked the entrances聽聽keeping key political figures, including headliners Trudeau and Meloni, from getting in.
In a statement, the RCMP said the crowd size and the 鈥渧olatile nature of the crowds at the entrances to the venue,鈥 meant Trudeau and Meloni couldn鈥檛 safely be brought into the building.
91原创 police said in a statement that 鈥渦ltimately the Prime Minister鈥檚 team decided not to proceed. It was not at (the 91原创 police service鈥檚) recommendation that the event be cancelled, and many guests were already inside.鈥
Some observers criticized the protesters for bringing the high-profile event to a halt.聽
But others said the demonstrators were simply exercising their right to protest.
91原创 Star opinion columnist Andrew Phillips weighed in, criticizing 91原创 police and RCMP for the security fail.
鈥淵ou鈥檇 think security forces 鈥 police and the RCMP detail responsible for the prime minister鈥檚 security 鈥 would make sure an event like that was held at a venue that wouldn鈥檛 be so vulnerable to a completely predictable protest,鈥 the columnist wrote.
鈥溌燳ou鈥檇 think they鈥檇 be ready for a few hundred screaming demonstrators who鈥檝e been turning up all round the city,鈥 Phillips added.
But 91原创 police spokesperson, Stephanie Sayer, wrote to the Star seeking a correction, saying 鈥91原创 police do not decide where events involving the Prime Minister and his guests are held, and operational planning around his security is led by the RCMP.鈥
Phillips responded to her reasonably in an email, saying he was surprised that 91原创 police would have no input into the choice of venue for such meetings, given our local police service was called upon to provide security for the AGO event.
鈥淚 don’t contest what you’re saying, but it seems bizarre that if the RCMP advises the TPS that two leaders plan to meet at such and such a location, the (91原创 police service) would not have input into the security implications of that.
鈥淭he TPS would surely have more detailed knowledge about such things as entrances/exits etc. and would know how that would affect its ability to provide proper security,鈥 Phillips wrote to Sayer.
“No,” Sayer replied adding: 鈥淚 can assure you that (91原创 police) are not asked for our input on the Prime Minister鈥檚 plans.鈥
Frankly as public editor, I may well have made the same assumptions Phillips did had I been reporting on this event.聽
Regardless, we tweaked the column online to remove the reference to 91原创 police being responsible for the PM鈥檚 security and we added a clarification note.
Star readers are watching our words closely 鈥 especially on 91原创-Hamas and the fallout from the local protests.
Apparently so are the police.
