A leaked internal memo from Canada's taxpayer-funded CBC reveals a directive prohibiting journalists from describing the September 11 attacks as 'terrorist.' The network cites 'journalistic impartiality' as the reason for this controversial ban.

  • CBC issued internal guidelines banning the term 'terrorist' when referring to 9/11 attacks.
  • The network claims the word is too 'loaded' to maintain journalistic impartiality.
  • Osama bin Laden explicitly described the attacks as 'blessed terror' in 2001.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a taxpayer-funded entity, has sparked a firestorm of criticism following the leak of an internal memo. The document, sent by Basem Boshra, the senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, explicitly instructs staff: "Do not refer to the Sept 11 attacks as terrorist attacks."

According to reports by The Toronto Sun and the National Post, the network believes that the word "terrorist" is too "loaded" for objective reporting. Consequently, CBC journalists are only permitted to use the term when directly quoting a source, but they are forbidden from using it in their own descriptive prose.

Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that this directive represents a dangerous slide toward linguistic relativism in mainstream media. By stripping a mass-casualty event of its primary definition, the network is not practicing impartiality, but is instead sanitizing a historical atrocity. This creates a precedent where factual labels are discarded to avoid offending hypothetical sensibilities, effectively erasing the nature of the crime itself.

"When a public broadcaster refuses to name terrorism as such, it ceases to report the news and begins to curate a narrative that prioritizes political correctness over objective truth."

The irony of CBC's position is highlighted by the words of the perpetrator himself. Osama bin Laden did not shy away from the label. In a video statement from December 2001, he boasted, "Our terror against America is blessed terror." By refusing to use the word, CBC is, in a paradoxical sense, being more lenient toward the attackers than the attackers were toward themselves.

This move comes as the world approaches the 25th anniversary of the attacks. The controversy raises fundamental questions about the role of public broadcasters in a democratic society: should they reflect the consensus of global fact, or should they implement a sterilized vocabulary to avoid perceived bias?

Did You Know?: The term 'terrorism' is derived from the French 'terreur', referring to the state-sponsored violence during the French Revolution, but it has evolved to describe non-state actors targeting civilians for political aims.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why did CBC ban the word 'terrorist' for 9/11?
CBC claims the word is 'loaded' and that avoiding it is necessary to maintain a standard of journalistic impartiality.

Q2: How was this directive made public?
The directive was revealed through leaked internal memos obtained by The Toronto Sun and National Post.