Staff Reports
A leaked CBC memo told staff not to call the Sept. 11 attacks “terrorist attacks” and to use phrases like “the hijackings led to passenger jet crashes.” If true, that is not a typo — it’s a choice. And it is an insult to the victims, the first responders, and anyone who believes words still mean something.
The memo and what it actually said
The memo, attributed to Basem Boshra, Senior Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust at CBC News, reportedly tells reporters: “Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks. The hijackings led to passenger jet crashes…” That phrasing is clumsy on purpose. “Crash” suggests an accident. The truth — that terrorists deliberately flew jets into buildings and killed nearly 3,000 people — demands the word “terrorism.”
CBC’s explanation and internal rules
CBC spokespeople say this is just a reminder of a long‑standing rule: staff should prefer attributing charged words like “terrorist” to officials or experts instead of using them in CBC’s own voice. Their editor‑in‑chief has written before that the network uses “extreme caution” with those terms. Fine — but caution should not become cowardice or historical revisionism.
Why this matters beyond newsroom semantics
Words shape how we remember events. When a public broadcaster rewrites language to avoid moral clarity, it erodes trust. CBC is taxpayer‑funded. Canadians and Americans alike expect honest reporting, not linguistic gymnastics that make mass murder sound like a traffic accident. Critics, including Jewish advocacy groups and Conservative MPs, have rightly called this sanitizing and offensive.
Political fallout and accountability
This is not just a grammar debate. Because CBC is a Crown corporation, editorial choices invite public scrutiny and political questions. Parliament can demand answers. CBC should release the full memo, identify who signed off on it, and explain why victims’ memories are being smoothed over. If the instruction is truly a reminder of policy, show the full policy — don’t leak a fragment and expect applause.
Call it what it was: a terrorist attack. If CBC wants to be taken seriously, its leaders — including Basem Boshra and Brodie Fenlon, the editor‑in‑chief — should stand up, explain themselves on the record, and stop hiding behind euphemism. Otherwise, public trust will keep sliding, and taxpayers should question why they are funding an outlet that tiptoes around truth in the name of “neutrality.”
