Oh, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Don't Call Hamas a 'Terrorist' Group

October 9th, 2023 11:39 AM

"Public broadcasting" networks are branded as the reliable, fact-based, nonpartisan journalism agencies, but in reality, they are remarkably "progressive" public-relations operations.

See the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Hamas war on Israel. Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley confirmed that CBC's Vice President of Standards George Achi sent an email instructing his journalists to refrain from using the word "terrorist" to describe Hamas in the midst of missile launches, and shootings and rapes of civilians. That's "heavily politicized."

Do not refer to militants, soldiers or anyone else as ‘terrorists.’ The notion of terrorism remains heavily politicized and is part of the story,” CBC executive George Achi said in an email to all journalists.

“Even when quoting/clipping a government or a source referring to fighters as ‘terrorists,’ we should add context to ensure the audience understands this is opinion, not fact. That includes statements from the Canadian government and Canadian politicians,” Achi said.

"Terrorism" is a political and emotional word. Barack Obama wanted to suppress the T-word and end the concept of a "war on terror." That doesn't mean the threat vanishes. Terrorism leads to "heavily politicized" and emotional reactions. 

Lilley reported CBC journalists confirmed to the Toronto Sun that the email being shared widely online and being widely ridiculed was in fact accurate. A CBC spokesperson also confirmed the authenticity of the memo and explained their position as part of their “commitment to accuracy, balance and fairness.”

Notice how the urgent need for "balance" breaks out when Islamic terrorists start murdering hundreds. We can easily suspect the T-word isn't this restrained on groupings the CBC doesn't feel some ache for the "marginalized" peoples: 

A report earlier this year on the Air India bombing had no issue using the term terrorism freely, without attribution, as should be the case, but with Hamas, CBC issues warning not to use the term. When a man was in court this past summer on charges of being part of a neo-Nazi terrorist group, CBC was again freely using the term terrorism to describe what was happening without any attempt to downplay the significance of that word or claim that it is all very political.

The only thing that is political is CBC.

They are political in deciding when to use the word and when not to use it and Hamas, in their view, doesn’t qualify while a story about the Proud Boys does.

LIlley concluded: "Canadians deserve better from CBC, but they won’t be getting it any time soon. The CBC brain trust remains convinced of their position; they remain convinced of their moral superiority."