A senior executive at Canada’s publicly funded broadcaster is facing backlash after allegedly telling newsroom staff not to describe 9/11 as “terror attacks.”
According to what appears to be an internal memo obtained by the Toronto Sun, Basem Boshra advised journalists and editors at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: “Do not refer to the Sept 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.”
The guidance reportedly suggests CBC reporters instead write that “the hijackings led to passenger jet crashes in Washington, DC, Pennsylvania and Manhattan.”
The memo also states that “The World Trade Center (WTC in second reference) was destroyed,” pointing staff to the CBC’s internal language standards.
Boshra, who serves as CBC News’ senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, appears to have issued the reminder as the broadcaster prepares coverage tied to the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, carried out by the Islamic terror group al-Qaeda and resulting in the deaths of 3,000 people.
The reported instruction has drawn sharp criticism from some Canadian taxpayers and lawmakers, who argue that avoiding the term “terror attack” in reference to 9/11 disrespects the victims, survivors and first responders.
Asked about the controversy by Our News Outlet, CBC director of public affairs Kerry Kelly said it was “wholly inaccurate to state our journalists have been urged to declare that this was not a terrorist act.”
“We regularly send reminders about adherence to CBC’s longstanding language guidance regarding the terms ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’” Kelly wrote.
‘CBC preferences use of these words with attribution to credible sources, a practice shared by many of the world’s top journalistic organizations.’
In a leaked memo to CBC News staff, Basem Boshra, the senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, told reporters and editors: ‘Do not refer to the Sept 11 attacks as terrorist attacks’
The memo appears to have been released as the outlet prepares to cover the 25th anniversary of the attacks, which were carried out by Islamic terror group al-Qaeda and killed 3,000 people
But when asked specifically if CBC was denying the existence of Boshra’s memo, Kelly seemingly rushed to his defense.
She said it is the ‘practice of the CBC to exercise extreme caution before using the words terrorist and terrorism.’
Kelly further alleged that the memo served as a ‘reminder’ of the broadcaster’s ‘longstanding practice’ to use terrorist and terrorism with ‘attribution’ in its reporting.
She then cited an October 2023 blog from CBC general manager and editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon that states the broadcaster does not designate groups or acts as terrorist.
‘Our focus is to report the facts of such atrocities with accuracy, clarity and detail; to convey the scale and scope of violent acts wherever they occur; to quote the people affected, and to convey the views of officials and experts on these events. We bear witness,’ Fenlon wrote at the time.
‘But CBC News does not itself designate specific groups as terrorists, or specific acts as terrorism, regardless of the region or the events, because these words are so loaded with meaning, politics and emotion that they can end up being impediments to our journalism.’
Fenlon’s blog went on to advise that journalists should ‘generally avoid’ referring to any specific bombing or assault as a terrorist act unless it is ‘attributed’ in a direct quote.
He claimed the use of the words terrorist or terrorism can ‘become impediments to reporting’ and ‘can lead to virtually endless questions about consistency and impartiality in our coverage of various attacks around the world.’
The leaked memo sparked fury from Rachael Thomas, Conservative MP for Lethbridge, Alberta, who alleged that refusing to call 9/11 a terror attack ‘dishonors’ victims and first responders
His blog also specifically referenced 9/11, noting that the broadcaster prefers to refer to the assault as ‘the September 11 attacks.’
‘Terrorism generally implies attacks against unarmed civilians for political, religious or some other ideological reason. But it’s a highly controversial term that can leave journalists taking sides in a conflict,’ he added.
‘By restricting ourselves to neutral language, we aren’t faced with the problem of calling one incident a “terrorist act” (e.g., the destruction of the World Trade Center) while classifying another as, say, a mere “bombing” (e.g., the destruction of a crowded shopping mall in the Middle East).’
Although Boshra’s memo appears to be aligned with Fenlon’s guidance three years ago, it has angered the Canadian public.
Rachael Thomas, Conservative MP for Lethbridge, Alberta, branded CBC ‘absolutely shameful’ and accused the broadcaster of ‘choosing to redefine terrorism in a way that downplays the atrocity of 9/11.’
‘Refusing to call it an act of terrorism dishonors the victims, their families, the survivors, and the first responders who witnessed the horrors of that day,’ she wrote on X.
‘Trying to sanitize or rewrite that history is deeply offensive and does a disservice to everyone who was affected by the attacks.’
Mike Fegelman, the director of Honest Reporting Canada, a non-profit that monitors Canadian media for bias regarding Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish community, urged that CBC be held accountable for its ‘recurring failures.’
New York City firefighters work at the World Trade Center after two hijacked planes crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001
‘Reporters work inside an editorial culture created by managers, standards departments, senior executives and the people ultimately responsible for enforcing journalistic judgment. If the failures keep recurring, accountability has to move up the chain,’ he tweeted.
‘A public broadcaster should help Canadians understand reality, not rewrite ordinary language until terrorism becomes something too delicate to name.’
Public funding equates for approximately 70 percent of CBC’s total budget, the broadcaster reports.
It received $1.38 billion in federal funds for its 2026/27 fiscal year, according to the Canadian government.
The remaining 30 percent of its budget is generated through advertising, subscription fees and content licensing.
