TORONTO / ISLAMABAD, October 10, 2026 — Mike Fegelman, Executive Director of HonestReporting Canada, has reflected publicly on how his organization’s work changed after the Hamas attacks on Israel of October 7, 2023, and why he believes the fight over how Israel and Jews are portrayed has intensified. His comments appeared in a post on LinkedIn responding to a profile of the group by Alberta Jewish News, which he linked in the post (link).

Note on figures: Fegelman’s post cites a community of more than 80,000 Canadians. HonestReporting Canada’s own overview describes more than 45,000 members. The two numbers may measure different things, and FFN has not independently verified either.

The morning that changed the work

Fegelman wrote that for more than 20 years he had protected Shabbat from work. On October 7, 2023, he walked into synagogue and found a close friend crying in a corner. As he learned what Hamas had done in Israel, he told his rabbi he thought he had to leave. The rabbi’s answer, he said, was simple: “Go.”

For the next 72 hours, he wrote, his team worked almost nonstop connecting Canadian journalists with Israelis who could describe what they had witnessed. Three years later, he said, the workload has grown two to three times, the community has expanded, and “the battle over how Israel and Jews are portrayed has intensified.”

“The hate that is traditionally on the margins of our society has really made an asserted effort to move to the mainstream.”Mike Fegelman, quoted from the Alberta Jewish News profile, as shared in his LinkedIn post

Why narratives matter beyond the newsroom

Fegelman argues the larger issue is that “bad narratives do not stay confined to the media.” In his account, they travel through institutions, politics and social movements, shaping public opinion and influencing what societies become willing to tolerate.

Criticism versus delegitimization

Fegelman stresses that his objection is not to criticism of Israel. “Legitimate criticism is healthy,” he wrote, and he said Israel should receive it. His concern, he said, begins when criticism becomes delegitimization, demonization or a double standard; when context disappears; when ideological activists are presented as dispassionate authorities; and when journalists stop seriously challenging the narratives before them. He has become increasingly outspoken about Canadian news organizations, particularly the CBC, which FFN did not independently assess for this report.

The framing concern, illustrated

Journalists scrutinize governments, corporations, universities, police forces and political movements, he noted, and media organizations “should expect the same treatment.” Scrutiny, he added, does not have to mean hostility.

Engagement before correction

Much of the group’s work, Fegelman said, happens through direct engagement with journalists and editors. “Sometimes we agree. Sometimes we agree to disagree. Sometimes corrections are made.” He summarized the philosophy in another line from the profile: “I would rather educate a journalist and try to prevent bad media coverage from happening than try to cure it after the fact.”

“Silence is not a strategy”

The profile, Fegelman wrote, ends on a point he considers important now: “Naturally there’s a fear. There’s a fear of consequences for speaking up. But we need to push back very strongly against that.” He said he understands that fear, but that “silence is not a strategy.” That was true when the organization began more than 20 years ago, he wrote, and “it is considerably more urgent today.”

His stated objective: demand accuracy and context, correct the record when necessary, recognize good journalism, and refuse to let distorted narratives about Israel and Jews become conventional wisdom “simply because they are repeated often enough.”

About HonestReporting Canada

HonestReporting Canada describes itself as an independent grass-roots organization promoting fairness and accuracy in Canadian media coverage of Israel and the Middle East. It says its members monitor the media, recognize excellence and expose inaccuracy and bias, and that coverage should reflect the highest journalistic standards and Canadian values including democracy, freedom, liberty and the rule of law. The organization’s tagline is “Ensuring Fair and Accurate Canadian Media Coverage of Israel.”

About the author of the post

Mike Fegelman

Executive Director, HonestReporting Canada

In his own words: “I possess a hard work ethic, value self sacrifice, regard myself as a consummate team player, and am tenaciously goal driven. I consider myself to be an eternal optimist with the glass always being half full. I see opportunities in every challenge and want to surround myself with today’s thought leaders and positive people to affect change in myself and in the world around me.”

“I value out of the box thinking and have a disdain for conformity, laziness, and apathy. I enjoy project management. Taking a novel idea from start-up to finish. Talk is cheap, actions are priceless.”

His bailiwick includes:

• Public, government and media relations
• Publicist services
• Drafting press releases
• Crisis management
• Professional speeches and scripts
• Promotional materials
• Ghost writing
• Social media marketing
• One-on-one media training
• Developing media kits
• Public workshops
• Op-eds and commentaries
• Competition assessments
• Advertising consulting
• Direct stakeholder engagement
• Strategic branding
• Reputation management
• Stakeholder reporting
• Brand storytelling
• Media monitoring
• Direct sales
• Website design and management
• Fundraising and annual campaigns
• Grant writing
• Board management
• Event planning
• Accounting