CBC instructed reporters to not label Hamas 'terrorists': leaked email

A leaked email from Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Director of Journalistic Standards George Achi has revealed that he instructed reporters to choose their words carefully while covering the recent events in Israel.

In his attempt to ensure the outlet remained as neutral as possible, Achi even went so far as to warn against referring to militants as terrorists, despite the fact Iranian-backed Palestinian group Hamas is listed as such by the Canadian government.

Achi began by asking reporters to re-read the CBC Language Guide's entry on the Middle East, reminding them they were entering into  "a period of intense coverage."

He went on to highlight two things in particular, the first being the current state of the Gaza Strip.

"Please do not describe 2005 as 'the end of the occupaton' as Israel has maintained control over airspace, seafront and virtually all movement in or our of the area," the guideline stated.

"Do not refer to militants, soldiers, or anyone else as 'terrorists,' the second highlighted section stated, suggesting "the notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story."

Under that guideline, reporters were instructed to "add context" when anyone refers to people as terrorists, "even when quoting/clipping a government source," including official statements from Canadian leaders.

"Please use fact-based language," Achi continued, adding, "this is not a story that comes out of the blue, but it deeply rooted in the political and military landscape of the past few years."

https:/twitter.com/stopantisemites/status/1710862706914349283

The leaked email quickly made its way around social media and was widely criticized.

"If true, this employee, must be fired," Stop Antisemitism wrote on X.

Others reiterated that, according to the government of Canada, Hamas is a terrorist organization.

The current wave of terror began on Saturday morning, as Hamas militants executed a surprise attack across Israel, launching over 2,200 rockets into the country while gunmen crossed the border. Since then, over 1,000 people have been killed, with Sunday marking the highest number of Jews killed in one day since the Holocaust.