Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 27

CBC Defends 9/11 Term Memo Ahead of 25th Anniversary as Critics Denounce 'Terrorist' Ban

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Aug 27

CBC Defends 9/11 Term Memo Ahead of 25th Anniversary as Critics Denounce 'Terrorist' Ban

Q: Why is a major broadcaster refusing to call 9/11 terrorism even after the perpetrators themselves claimed responsibility?

CBC is not saying 9/11 was not terrorism; it is refusing to use the word as the broadcaster’s own label unless it is attributed to a source. The network says this is a longstanding editorial rule meant to avoid terms it considers politically and emotionally loaded. CBC’s stated rationale is that words like “terrorist” and “terrorism” can make a news outlet appear to be taking a side, especially because the term is disputed in some conflicts. Its editors say they prefer to describe what happened in factual terms and then quote officials, experts or legal authorities using the terrorism label. CBC says it applies the same standard to other attacks, not just 9/11. That explanation has not stopped criticism because 9/11 is not a contested case in the public record. U.S. and Canadian authorities officially define it as a terrorist attack. The FBI says 19 al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners and killed nearly 3,000 people. Canada lists al Qaida as a terrorist entity and says it carried out the attacks. Al Qaeda leaders, including Osama bin Laden, later issued statements and recordings acknowledging responsibility. So the dispute is not really about evidence of what 9/11 was. It is about journalistic philosophy. CBC is prioritizing a strict neutrality standard on language, while critics argue that in a case as historically and legally established as 9/11, avoiding the term “terrorism” sanitizes reality rather than protecting impartiality.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 27

CBC said an internal memo told journalists to avoid calling the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks “terrorist attacks” without attribution, instead favoring “the Sept. 11 attacks” ahead of the 25th anniversary.
Kerry Kelly said the guidance restated CBC’s longstanding practice of using “terrorist” and “terrorism” only with attribution because the broadcaster considers the terms politically and emotionally loaded.
The memo, authored by standards chief Basem Boshra and first reported by Warren Kinsella, described 9/11 as hijackings that led to crashes in Manhattan, Washington and Pennsylvania.
Rachael Thomas, Vickie Paladino and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs condemned the policy as sanitizing history, while the FBI calls 9/11 the deadliest terrorist attacks in history, killing nearly 3,000.
CBC linked the stance to a broader editorial rule also applied to the 2005 London bombings, 2004 Madrid attacks and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault on Israel.