ExLinkedIner (@ExLinkedIner)

#Canadians, this is where you tax dollars go. An internal guidance memo sent to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) reporters and editors instructed journalists not to refer to the September 11 attacks directly as "terrorist attacks" on its own authority. The memo—authored by Basem Boshra, Senior Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust at CBC News—was leaked by Canadian journalist Warren Kinsella and reported by media outlets including The Toronto Sun and National Post. In the instruction ahead of the 25th anniversary of 9/11, CBC staff were instructed: "Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks." Instead maybe use, "The hijackings led to passenger jet crashes." Following public criticism from political commentators and civil society groups, a CBC spokesperson clarified that the memo was a routine reminder regarding CBC's general editorial language policy, which requires terms like "terrorist" or "terrorism" to be attributed to outside authorities, governments, or experts rather than used as unattributed declarative labels by reporters. General Journalistic Standard: Editor-in-Chief Brodie Fenlon has previously defended this stance, stating that CBC News avoids declaring groups or actions as "terrorist" on its own because the words carry political and emotional weight that could compromise neutral reporting—a practice shared by several international outlets (such as the BBC and Reuters). -- Do you think? And consider who the other outlets are. CBC maintained that it is inaccurate to suggest they are telling journalists 9/11 was not a terrorist act, but rather that reporters must attribute the label (e.g., noting that the Canadian or U.S. governments define it as a terrorist attack). While the internal guidance was intended to enforce CBC’s long-standing neutral language standards, the strict phrasing of the memo drew intense scrutiny over how major historical events are described. And that's why many Canadians hate the CBC and want to stop subsidizing it completely with our tax dollars.