CBC to Call 9/11 Terrorism After Backlash Over Internal Memo

Canada’s public broadcaster CBC/Radio-Canada has announced that it will explicitly describe the September 11, 2001, attacks as terrorism, making an exception to its usual editorial policy after an internal memo triggered strong criticism in the United States and Canada.

The decision came after backlash from FBI Director Kash Patel, US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra, Republican lawmakers and Canada’s Conservative Party over reports that CBC staff had been reminded not to independently describe the 9/11 attacks as terrorist attacks.

CBC said the exception was being made to avoid confusion and ensure clarity ahead of the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Basem Boshra, CBC’s senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, said a leaked excerpt from the broadcaster’s language policy had raised questions that needed to be addressed.

He said the broadcaster was making the exception to remove what had become an obstacle to “clarity and public understanding”, while stressing that CBC would continue to attribute the causes and motivations of new politically or ideologically motivated violence to officials and experts.

Boshra also rejected claims that CBC had ever denied that the September 11 attacks constituted terrorism.

CBC said it had consistently reported on the attacks, including their causes and motivations as established by police, governments and the independent commission that investigated the events. Its longstanding policy had simply required the use of terms such as “terrorism” and “terrorist” to be attributed rather than presented as the journalist’s own characterisation.

WHY CBC'S POLICY SPARKED CONTROVERSY

The controversy began after Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella reported on an internal memo that he said instructed CBC News staff not to refer to the September 11 attacks as “terrorist attacks”.

CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly subsequently confirmed that the broadcaster follows a longstanding practice of exercising caution when using the terms “terrorism” and “terrorist”.

She said the memo was intended to remind journalists of the organisation’s existing policy, which favours attribution when using such terminology.

CBC said the approach is shared by several major international news organisations, including the BBC, Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.

The broadcaster also referred to a 2023 blog post by CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon, who explained that attribution of the word “terrorist” had been part of the organisation’s editorial policy for decades.

Under the broader policy, CBC journalists can report that authorities or experts have described an incident as terrorism while avoiding making the classification independently when the circumstances or motivation remain contested.

US OFFICIALS SLAMMED THE POLICY

The reported guidance prompted an unusually strong response from US officials and lawmakers.

FBI Director Kash Patel criticised the policy in an online post, arguing that failing to clearly identify the September 11 attacks as terrorism would disrespect the victims of the deadliest terrorist attack in US history.

A group of Republican members of Congress also questioned why CBC would avoid describing the attacks as terrorist attacks.

US Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra subsequently amplified Patel’s criticism and warned that failing to recognise and confront radical and terrorist ideologies could undermine security cooperation between the two countries.

Hoekstra also highlighted cooperation between US and Canadian authorities in disrupting terrorist and violent criminal organisations operating in Canada.

The criticism placed additional pressure on CBC to clarify its position ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

CANADIAN GOVERNMENT WELCOMES CHANGE

The decision also received support from Canadian government officials.

Culture Minister Marc Miller welcomed CBC’s move, describing the previous guidance as unnecessary and saying it had caused legitimate public anger.

Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree separately stated that the Canadian government has always recognised September 11 as the deadliest terrorist attack in history and unequivocally condemns terrorism.

CBC’s decision therefore creates a specific exception for 9/11 while leaving its wider editorial framework largely unchanged.

The broadcaster said it will describe the September 11 attacks as terrorism, but will continue to use attribution when reporting on the causes and motivations of new politically or ideologically motivated acts of violence.

The clarification comes as Canada and the United States prepare to mark 25 years since the September 11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped global security and counterterrorism policy.