The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has instructed journalists not to use the term “terrorist” when reporting on Hamas’ deadly attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.
“Do not refer to militants, soldiers or others as ‘terrorists,'” George Achi, director of journalism standards for the Canadian public broadcaster, wrote in an email to employees Saturday.
“The perception of terrorism is still very much politicized and is part of the story,” he added.
The leaflet was obtained by the non-profit group StopAntisemitism, which called for Achi to be fired.
Palestinian gunmen stormed the Israeli border along Gaza on Saturday – killing and kidnapping hundreds of civilian men, women and children.
CBC executives, however, said it was up to debate whether they should be called terrorists or not.
“Do not refer to militants, the military or anyone else as ‘terrorists,'” the CBC’s journalism standards director instructed reporters on Saturday. CBC
“Even when quoting/cutting government or sources that refer to fighters as ‘terrorists,’ we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact,” added Achi.
CBC reporters were also asked to refrain from calling Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 — in which the Jewish state abandoned settlements, military posts and left the Gaza Strip under the control of the Palestinian Authority — the “end” of Israel’s occupation of the strip. .
“Please don’t describe 2005 as the ‘end of occupation’ because Israel has maintained control over airspace, maritime borders, and almost all movement into or out of the area,” Achi wrote. “Our explanation should be based on facts, referring to the end of the permanent Israeli military presence on the ground.”
Network executives argued that referring to the gunmen behind deadly attacks on Israeli civilians as “terrorists” was “opinion, not fact.” CBC
“If true, this employee, must be fired,” StopAntisemitism posted on X, after revealing the CBC emails.
“Journalism requires honesty, and to whitewash Hamas’s crimes by failing to call them terrorism is deeply dishonest,” StopAntisemitism Executive Director Liora Rez told The Post. “CBC should be ashamed to avoid that term when it clearly applies; if killing and torturing civilians is not terrorism, what is it?”
“This memo is an important reminder that words matter,” Rez added. “We encourage employees of other media channels to contact and report what is happening behind the scenes. If your newsroom has a secret pro-Hamas censorship policy, the world needs to know.”
A CBC spokesperson confirmed that Achi’s email was legitimate on Tuesday, according to Fox News.
The representative also pointed out that “there is no prohibition” on using the term “terrorist” or “terrorism” when the CBC reports on the slaughter of civilians in Israel by Hamas.
“CBC News associates the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ with authorities, politicians and other officials who use these terms,” a spokesperson for the Canadian broadcaster said. AP
“CBC News associates the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ with authorities, politicians and other officials who use these terms,” the spokesperson told Fox News in a statement. “There is no prohibition against these words. However, we ourselves refrain from declaring certain groups as terrorists, in line with the policy of many leading organizations and news agencies around the world.”
“The focus of our news coverage is to explain exactly what happened in detail, as we did with everything that happened this weekend. Our approach has been consistent and has ensured that CBC’s journalism throughout the decades of conflict in the Middle East lives up to our commitment to accuracy, balance and fairness,” the statement said.
In the US, MSNBC has come under fire for using the same language used by journalists in their coverage of deadly attacks on Israel.
“I am angry at the world for allowing the dehumanization of Israel and the whitewashing of Hamas,” Anti-Defamation League Director Jonathan Greenblatt said during an appearance on the left-leaning network. “I love the show and the network, but who writes the script?
“The people who did this are not combatants, they are not militants… They are terrorists,” Greenblatt added. “It is a barbarian who rapes and mistreats women, who kills children in front of their parents and then takes them to Gaza.”
The CBC did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
