CBC allows reporters to describe 9/11 attacks as terrorism without attribution after backlash
As previously reported by The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, the CBC circulated a memo last week to reporters and editors instructing them not to refer to the attacks as “terrorist attacks.”
Following an international backlash over a memo instructing reporters not to label the September 11, 2001 attacks as terrorism, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has revised its editorial guidelines. The memo, penned by Basem Boshra, senior director of journalistic standards and public trust at CBC News, advised reporters and editors against using the terms "terrorist attacks."
CBC spokeswoman Kerry Kelly confirmed that CBC's policy is to exercise extreme caution before employing the words "terrorist" and "terrorism," and that the memo served as a reminder of this long-standing practice.
However, the CBC announced on Friday that it would modify its 9/11 language guidance. Chuck Thompson, Head of Public Affairs at CBC, informed The Jerusalem Post of this decision. In a new editor's blog, Boshra explained that the memo sparked significant concern, anger, and hurt among those who perceived CBC News as attempting to downplay or obscure the terror and motivations behind the 9/11 attacks. He emphasized that this was not the intention of the memo.
Boshra noted that the CBC has always reported the 9/11 attacks as terrorism, attributing it to al-Qaeda and fully describing the reasons and motivations behind the attacks. The organization's reporting on terrorism, wherever it occurs, has always adhered to the principle of attribution, a practice it has maintained for decades. Following the uproar, Boshra stated that after reviewing the current language guidance, CBC News has decided to adjust it to clarify that direct attribution is not required when describing the historic events of 9/11 as terrorism.
This change aims to remove what unintentionally became an impediment to clarity and public understanding. The new guidance only affects the language used for 9/11, with future reporting on other events continuing to require attribution.
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