Canada's public broadcaster is altering its policy on describing acts of terrorism after an internal directive instructed staff not to label the September 11 attacks as terrorist attacks. The decision by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) News follows significant public backlash and criticism from U.S. officials.

In a memo Friday, CBC News Senior Director of Journalistic Standards and Public Trust Basem Boshra stated that the network will adjust its guidance to clarify that direct attribution is not required for describing the 9/11 attacks as terrorism. Boshra attributed the revision to a "leaked excerpt" of the network's language policy that "has raised more questions for the public that we must now answer."

"We are doing so to remove what has unfortunately (and unintentionally) become an impediment to clarity and public understanding," Boshra wrote. He added that the memo was published "without context or explanation" and maintained that CBC News has "never said what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, was not terrorism."

Earlier this week, The Toronto Sun reported on a memo where Boshra instructed reporters and editors: "Do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks." The memo suggested phrasing such as "The hijackings led to passenger jet crashes in Washington, DC, Pennsylvania, and Manhattan" and "The World Trade Center (WTC in second reference) was destroyed."

The report prompted outrage from various figures, including FBI Director Kash Patel, who stated that any Canadian agency not rejecting the guidance would lose the FBI's friendship. U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra echoed these sentiments, warning that failure to confront radical ideologies endangers security partnerships. The House Republican Conference also publicly questioned the motive behind sanitizing the description of the attacks.

Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree issued a statement asserting that the Government of Canada has always recognized 9/11 as the deadliest terrorist attack in history and unequivocally condemns terrorism. He noted that this stance is embedded in Canadian law through the Antiterrorism Act of 2001, which defines "terrorist activity" as "a deliberate, ideologically motivated terrorist attack on civilians."

Boshra's Friday memo stated that as new acts of politically or ideologically motivated violence occur, the CBC will continue its practice of attributing causes and motivations to officials and experts. He pointed to a 2023 blog post by CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon, which indicated that while the outlet often uses the word "terrorist" with attribution, it does not "itself designate specific groups as terrorists, or specific acts as terrorism, regardless of the region or the events." Fenlon argued that these terms carry significant political and emotional weight that can impede journalism.

The September 11 attacks resulted in the deaths of 2,996 people, including 2,977 victims and the 19 hijackers. Thousands more were injured, with significant casualties in New York City. The long-term health consequences for survivors and first responders, including cancer diagnoses, continue to be a factor stemming from the disaster.