Kathmandu— Canada’s national public broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), has instructed its staff not to refer to the events of September 11, 2001 as “terrorism,” according to reports from multiple news outlets. The guidance comes as the world marks the 25th anniversary of the attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people when 19 individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger airliners, crashing two into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon near Washington D.C., and a fourth in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control. The directive was outlined in a confidential memo circulated by CBC Senior Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust Basem Boshra.

Internal Memo Details Guidance

The Toronto Sun reported that the internal memo instructed reporters and editors to describe the events as hijackings leading to passenger jet crashes in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Manhattan, noting the destruction of the World Trade Center. The guidance reportedly avoids using the term “terrorist attacks” altogether when describing the events of 9/11.

CBC Defends Policy

A CBC spokesperson stated that reports characterizing the memo as urging journalists to deny the attacks were a terrorist act are inaccurate. They clarified that the memo was a routine reminder of existing CBC policy regarding the use of terms like ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism,’ which are permitted only when attributed to official sources such as government officials, authorities, experts, or politicians. Brodie Fenlon, editor in chief and general manager of CBC News, has previously explained that the broadcaster refrains from independently designating groups as terrorists or acts as terrorism due to the politically and emotionally charged nature of those terms, arguing they “can end up being impediments to our journalism.”

Context of US-Canada Trade Tensions

The reported guidance comes at a time of escalating trade tensions between Canada and the United States. Ottawa recently announced retaliatory tariffs of up to 50% on approximately 700 American products following new duties imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump, with further punitive measures threatened.

CBC maintains its policy is not intended to downplay the severity of the attacks but rather to ensure neutral reporting and avoid potentially biased language.

(With inputs from RT)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.