Key facts
- Canada's public broadcaster CBC will now label the 9/11 attacks as terrorism.
- The decision comes after significant criticism from U.S. officials and Canadian politicians.
- CBC's previous policy required attribution when using terms like 'terrorism'.
- U.S. officials, including the FBI director and ambassador to Canada, criticized the policy.
- Canadian ministers called the previous policy 'pedantic and foolish'.
Canada's public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, announced Friday it will make an exception to its policy of not labeling specific attacks as terrorism, specifically for the 9/11 attacks. This decision follows widespread criticism after media reports surfaced about a memo reminding journalists of the long-standing policy ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
Basem Boshra, CBC's senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, stated in a blog post that the broadcaster is making the exception to "remove what has unfortunately (and unintentionally) become an impediment to clarity and public understanding." He added that CBC would continue its practice of attributing causes and motivations for politically or ideologically motivated violence to officials and experts.
The controversy began when Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella reported on a memo that he said instructed CBC staff not to refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks. This prompted strong reactions from U.S. officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, who posted online that any agency not rejecting the "bastardization of history" would lose the FBI's friendship. Republican members of Congress also questioned the motive behind sanitizing the attacks. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra echoed these concerns, emphasizing the danger of failing to confront radical ideologies.
Canadian officials also weighed in, with Culture Minister Marc Miller calling the previous guidance "pedantic and foolish." Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree issued a press release affirming the Canadian government's recognition of 9/11 as the deadliest terrorist attack in history.
A CBC spokesperson, Kerry Kelly, explained that the memo was a reminder of the broadcaster's practice of using terms like 'terrorism' or 'terrorist' with attribution, a method shared by many major news organizations. CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon had previously written that attribution has been their policy for decades, mirroring practices at outlets like the BBC, AP, AFP, and Reuters.