A reported internal CBC memo instructed journalists not to describe the 11 September 2001 attacks as “terrorist attacks”, instead directing them towards factual descriptions of the hijackings, crashes and destruction of the World Trade Center. The report has prompted criticism from Conservative politicians and others who argue that the approach diminishes the experiences of victims and first responders, while CBC says the claim misrepresents its policy.

CBC said its longstanding guidance is to use terms such as “terrorist” and “terrorism” only with attribution to credible sources, rather than applying the labels itself. The broadcaster’s editor-in-chief has previously said such terms can be politically and emotionally loaded, and that CBC generally refers to the event as “the September 11 attacks”; al-Qaeda’s attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.