In this incisive episode, host Nashwa Lina Khan speaks with Canadian journalist Emma Pailing about how mainstream media in Canada—especially outlets like CBC—shape public understanding of Palestine and Israel.
With the Genocide in Gaza currently accelerating with mass starvation now compounding the daily killing it is vital to recognize how the dehumanizing language and double standards appear frequently in mainstream news coverage of Gaza, reflecting biased narratives and systemic narratives. Mainstream outlets often adopt dehumanizing frames when covering Gaza or censor to further the colonial project of empire. PR firms play a significant role in shaping public opinion behind the scenes by engineering consent and influencing media narratives to favor particular perspectives. Emma’s work has extensively covered this and media bias at CBC following October 2023 revealing whose voices are prioritized and whose are erased, highlighting disparities in coverage and representation.
If you appreciate the work we do please support groups like the Glia Project and the Palestinian Youth Movement’s weekly protests and listen to the last episode of Habibti Please Bearing Witness in Gaza: A Conversation with Dr. Sarah Lalonde.
Emma also broke a story on the surveillance, silencing, and repression of pro-Palestinian anti-genocide voices on Canadian campuses, illustrating the broader challenges faced by activists and educators advocating for justice especially given the settler-colonial existence of what we call Canada. While activists across social justice issues try to get organized, urban development, especially condo projects, are reshaping class dynamics and transforming grassroots organizing within cities, often reinforcing social inequalities. Nashwa and Emma then explore what a decolonial, anti-capitalist Canadian media landscape that would challenge these entrenched narratives, centering marginalized voices and emphasizing justice would look like. Both journalists and readers have a crucial role in demanding more accountability and integrity from our media institutions to foster truth and equity in public discourse.
With the genocide in Gaza accelerating—now marked by mass starvation alongside daily bombings—it’s vital to examine how mainstream Canadian media upholds systems of violence through dehumanizing language and double standards. From selective reporting to outright censorship, dominant outlets often reinforce colonial narratives that erase Palestinian life and struggle.
Public relations firms play a powerful, behind-the-scenes role in shaping public opinion—engineering consent and directing media narratives to align with state and corporate interests. In this context, journalism often serves empire rather than accountability.
A detailed investigation revealed how CTV/Bell Media banned the use of the word “Palestine,” framing it as “non-existent,” while disproportionately amplifying Israeli perspectives and sanitizing Palestinian suffering (Breach Media). Similarly, CBC’s The National showed stark imbalance in its post-October 7 coverage, featuring significantly more Israeli voices compared to Palestinian ones, often leaving Palestinians unnamed (Breach Media). Editorial policies at CBC have also been found to sanitize language around Palestinian deaths, avoiding terms like “murderous” or “brutal,” which are reserved only for Hamas (Breach Media). Adding to these media silencing tactics, Global News reportedly refused to air critical interviews that challenged Israeli policies due to pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups (Read The Maple).
Surveillance and repression extend beyond media, reaching into academic spaces. After a meeting between former Minister Selina Robinson and the UBC president, the Anthropology department was ordered to remove a statement condemning “genocidal violence in Gaza,” with warnings that political statements might bring liability, raising serious concerns about academic freedom (Breach Media).
While activists across social justice sectors strive to organize, urban development—especially condo-driven gentrification—reshapes class relations and disrupts grassroots networks. New reporting from Read The Maple details how Canada’s “condo class” has fragmented political organizing by displacing communities and weakening local power (Read The Maple).
Journalist Emma Paling has extensively covered these intersecting issues, including media bias at CBC following October 2023, and uncovered the surveillance, silencing, and repression of pro-Palestinian activism on Canadian campuses (Breach Media).
Together, Nashwa Lina Khan and Emma Paling explore what a decolonial, anti-capitalist Canadian media landscape might look like: one that challenges entrenched empire-aligned narratives, centers Indigenous, Palestinian, and other marginalized voices, and demands justice and accountability. Both journalists and audiences share the responsibility to push for media institutions that foster truth, equity, and meaningful public discourse.
Resources and Further Reading:
* Follow Emma Pailing on Twitter: @emma_pailing
Emma Paling – Selected Work
* Emma Paling's portfolio – A full overview of her published journalism and investigations.
* CTV’s racist double standards in Palestine coverage – An exposé on Bell Media’s internal censorship and disproportionate framing favoring Israel.
* Global News refused to air anchor’s reports on Israel – Reporting on internal silencing of critical voices within Canadian broadcast journalism.
* CBC avoids “murderous” language when Palestinians are killed – A critical look at editorial double standards and dehumanizing language at CBC.
* How Canada’s condo class disrupted political organizing – On urban gentrification and its impact on grassroots activism.
* Canada ramps up immigration enforcement while cooperating with ICE – A cross-border analysis of migration enforcement and its racialized consequences.
* Professors backing Palestine motions face alleged hack and legal intimidation – On repression of academic freedom and digital targeting.
* Canadian newspapers fail to disclose military experts' ties – Investigating conflicts of interest and lack of transparency in defense reporting.
* $95 million in Canadian military goods could flow to Israel by 2025 – A deep dive into arms exports amid ongoing genocide.
* Falsehoods about Palestine go unchallenged on Canadian talk radio – How unchecked misinformation fuels anti-Palestinian racism.
* Companies ask court to keep Israel export details secret – On legal attempts to block public access to export data.
* Emma Paling profile at Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) – Highlights her reporting on Palestine, media, and accountability.
When Genocide Wasn’t News
Check outWhen Genocide Wasn’t News — a powerful anthology from The Breach that exposes how Canadian mainstream media actively distorted, downplayed, or erased coverage of Israel’s assault on Gaza. Through essays by journalists and advocates, the book challenges the complicity of institutions like CBC and CTV, and uplifts the stories that were silenced.
Visualizing Palestine Is Worth Exploring
One resource that powerfully shifts narrative away from erasure and toward truth-telling isVisualizing Palestine. This organization uses data-driven visual storytelling to document the structural violence of settler colonialism, apartheid, displacement, and resistance in Palestine. Their work is rooted in research, yet rendered in accessible infographics and animations that challenge mainstream distortions—especially those deeply embedded in Western and Canadian media systems, as Emma Paling critiques.
At a time when Palestinian voices are either silenced or stripped of political context, Visualizing Palestine offers tools to make complexity legible. Their graphics are used by educators, grassroots organizers, faith groups, and student campaigns worldwide, and have reached over 26 million people in the past year alone. Their recently released book, Visualizing Palestine: A Chronicle of Colonialism and the Struggle for Liberation, is a beautiful and grounding archive that reflects over a decade of visual resistance work. It’s not just a resource—it’s part of a growing movement to reclaim how the story of Palestine is told to the world.
If we’re thinking about narrative power—what gets framed, what gets buried—then Visualizing Palestine is essential reading and viewing.
About Emma Pailing
Emma Pailing is a Toronto-based journalist and writer with a focus on geopolitics, media, and social justice issues. Her work explores international conflicts, media narratives, and the influence of corporations and governments in shaping public discourse. Emma has contributed to various outlets, including The Canadian Dimension, Middle East Eye, and others, where she critically examines issues such as Israel-Palestine, media bias, and Canada's role in global conflicts. She is dedicated to uncovering the stories often left out of mainstream conversations and amplifying marginalized voices.
Organizations Mentioned:
* Health Workers Alliance for Palestine
Take Action:
* Share this episode with friends, colleagues, and comrades to push back against media bias.
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* Stay loud about Palestine, censorship, and the need for truth-telling in Canadian media.
Note from Nashwa:
While this episode focuses on the role of Canadian media and PR in shaping public perception of Palestine, it's essential to also acknowledge the unprecedented violence faced by Palestinian journalists. Since October 2023, more than 230 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza — making it the deadliest war for journalists in modern history (Al Jazeera, Middle East Monitor). Many face starvation and targeted attacks while continuing to report (CBC, ABC).
We must also remember Shireen Abu Akleh, a veteran Al Jazeera journalist, whose killing remains a haunting reminder of the impunity with which Israel targets the press (The Guardian). Canadian media rarely covers these deaths — or does so with hesitation — despite their significance for press freedom and international law.
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Hosted by Nashwa Lina Khan
Art for Habibti Please by postXamerica
Production and Editing by Andre Goulet
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