CBC defended an internal memo telling journalists not to refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks. The memo surfaced ahead of the 25th anniversary, drawing criticism from Rachael Thomas and Vickie Paladino.
Basem Boshra, CBC News' senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, wrote, “Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks,” in the guidance addressed to CBC News staff. CBC Public Affairs Director Kerry Kelly said, “It is the practice of the CBC to exercise extreme caution before using the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,'” and added, “The memo was a reminder of the longstanding practice that favours the use of these terms with attribution in our reporting.”
Basem Boshra memo
The memo described the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks as hijackings that led to passenger jet crashes in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Manhattan, and said the World Trade Center was destroyed. CBC said that wording reflected a longstanding editorial practice, not a departure from it, and that its reporters and editors should use those terms with attribution when reporting.
The guidance arrived as attention turned toward the attacks' 25th anniversary. Warren Kinsella first reported the directive and said it was addressed to CBC News staff.
Rachael Thomas on X
Rachael Thomas, the Conservative Canadian MP, posted on X that “The CBC is choosing to redefine terrorism in a way that downplays the atrocity of 9/11. Refusing to call it an act of terrorism dishonors the victi” New York City Councilwoman Vickie Paladino also criticized the guidance in a statement to Digital, calling it “frankly outrageous and insulting.”
Paladino added that the memo was “a deliberate effort to undermine the fundamental truth of what happened that day,” while Kelly maintained that CBC uses “terrorist” and “terrorism” with caution. The memo leaves the broadcaster standing by a language rule that puts attribution first, even on a topic as fixed in public memory as Sept. 11, 2001.
