CBC leaked emails tell reporters to not use ‘terrorist’ in Hamas coverage: ‘This is opinion, not fact’

The Canadian Broadcast Company gave strict guidelines to reporters on using the term “terrorist” in their coverage of Israel’s war with Hamas, leaked emails reveal.

“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’s director of journalistic standards, George Achi, wrote in an email to employees on Saturday.

The CBC executive instructed journalists to make sure audiences understand that when quoting someone using this term, they are stating “opinion.”

“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,” he added.

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The CBC urged reporters to avoid using the term ‘terrorist’ in their coverage of Hamas. (MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

U.S.-based group “StopAntisemitism” first shared the leaked email on X. 

CBC journalists were also urged to avoid calling 2005 “the end” of Israeli occupation. 

“Please do not describe 2005 as ‘the end of the occupation’ as Israel has maintained control over airspace, seafront, and virtually all movement into or out of the area,” the email said. “Our description should be fact-based, referring to the end of permanent Israeli military presence on the ground.”

A CBC spokesperson confirmed the internal email’s legitimacy to Fox News Digital. The CBC characterized the protocol as similar to practices followed by other media outlets.

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Police officers evacuate a woman and a child from a site hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The rockets were fired as Hamas announced a new operation against Israel. (AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov)

“CBC News attributes the words ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ to authorities, politicians and other officials who use these terms. There is no ban on these words. However, we ourselves avoid declaring specific groups terrorists, in line with the policies of many reputable news organizations and agencies around the world,” the spokesperson said.

“The focus of our news coverage is on describing exactly what happened in detail, as we have with all that has transpired this weekend. Our approach has been consistent and ensured CBC’s journalism over decades of conflict in the Middle East lives up to our commitment to accuracy, balance and fairness,” the statement concluded.

Some Jewish activists have criticized media outlets for calling Hamas “militants” or “soldiers” instead of terrorists, since the surprise attack on Israel last Saturday.

“Soldiers don’t kidnap little toddlers. They don’t kidnap grandmothers. They don’t go around neighborhoods, just firing indiscriminately into homes or setting fire to the bomb shelters to force people to come out so they can murder them on the spot,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper told Fox News Digital on Monday.

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt has been another vocal critic of the media’s coverage. He even chided MSNBC for using soft language while he was a guest on “Morning Joe” on Monday.

“I must say, I love this show, and I love this network. But I’ve got to ask, who’s writing the scripts? Hamas, the people who did this, they are not fighters… They are not militants. I’m looking right at the camera, they are terrorists. It is a barbarian who rapes and brutalizes women, who kills children in front of their parents and then brings them over to Gaza,” he said.

Around 1,600 people have been killed in the war, including around 900 people in Israel as of Tuesday morning.

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