CBC reverses course after backlash, admits 9/11 was a terrorist attack

The internal memo that was leaked, which was crafted by CBC's senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, Basem Boshra, had stated, "Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks."

The memo described the events not as terrorism, but as hijackings that led to passenger jets crashing into the World Trade Center and other government buildings. In a statement, the CBC said in response to huge backlash to the leak, "It is the practice of the CBC to exercise extreme caution before using the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism.' The memo was a reminder of the longstanding practice that favours the use of these terms with attribution in our reporting."

After getting caught, Boshra published a blog post claiming that there has been a "swirl of confusion" about the internal memo that explicitly directed reporters not to use the words "terrorist attacks" to refer to 9/11. He claimed the leak was "without context," and said that the note was instead an instruction that attribution was needed to describe 9/11 as a terror attack.

However, the outlet has reversed itself and said that attribution is "no longer required" to accurately describe what the 9/11 attacks were, an act of terrorism. "After reviewing our current language guidance, we have decided to adjust it to clarify that direct attribution is not required for describing the historic events of 9/11 as terrorism," Boshra said in a post to the CBC's editor's blog.

In the wake of the backlash against the CBC for the internal memo instructing journalists not to call the 9/11 attacks terrorism, a petition has been started to remove Boshra from his position and currently has over 3,000 signatures.

The petition states: "The September 11 attacks were acts of terrorism that claimed nearly 3,000 lives and left an indelible mark on global history. By choosing to minimize the gravity of these attacks in our media, we risk not only distorting historical facts but also diminishing the profound sacrifice and enduring pain of the victims and their families."

It adds that the media in Canada bears the "responsibility of upholding integrity and framing events truthfully" and that change needs to be sought. "Please sign this petition to urge CBC News to take decisive action and remove Basem Boshra from his post at their organization," the petition adds.