Leaked Email Shows CBC Instructed Reporters to Not Label Hamas ‘Terrorists’
According to a leaked email from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the media outlet’s Director of Journalistic Standards, George Achi, instructed reporters to tread lightly when covering the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
In the email, Achi reportedly told writers to refrain from calling Hamas “terrorists” despite the fact that both the U.S. and Canadian governments have identified the group as such and reminded them to use “fact-based language” rather than politically charged terms.
“Do not refer to militants, soldiers, or anyone else as ‘terrorists.’ The notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story,” Achi said in the email. “Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as ‘terrorists,’ we should add content to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact.”
“That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians,” he added.
Achi also warned his colleagues to avoid “anything that sounds like [an] opinion. The story with its context, speaks for itself,” adding “This is not a story that comes out of the blue, but is deeply rooted in the political and military landscape of the past few years.”
In the email, the Journalistic Standards Director also reminded CBC writers that they should not refer to events of 2005, as “‘the end of the occupation’ as Israel has maintained control over the airspace, seafront, and virtually all movement into or out of the area.” In 2005, Israel removed all Jewish citizens from the Gaza Strip and left the region to choose its form of leadership independently. The people living in the Gaza Strip elected Hamas to power in 2006, and the group has remained in control of the territory since.
The CBC fell into hot water earlier this year when X (formerly Twitter) CEO Elon Musk branded the outlet “government-funded media,” alongside the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and U.S. outlet National Public Radio (NPR), which was labeled “state-affiliated media.” Both outlets receive government funds to operate; however, both maintain that they are journalistically independent.
Musk more recently slammed the Canadian government for “crushing free speech” after a new law went into effect, requiring all forms of media that meet a certain income threshold to register with the Canadian government.
Earlier this month, a journalist working for the BBC resigned after journalistic standards similar to those at the CBC were set, preventing reporters from labeling Hamas militants as “terrorists,” even after hours of footage attesting to the terroristic acts that were carried out on Israeli citizens have been verified by outlets and government agencies.
