CBC has not breached its own journalistic standards by avoiding the use of the word “terrorist” to describe Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack, the Canadian public broadcaster’s ombudsman says.
Canada has designated Hamas as a terrorist group since 2002. CBC’s guidelines say that although the public broadcaster can say that Canada proscribes Hamas as a terrorist group, and can quote the prime minister saying it’s a terrorist attack, CBC doesn’t use its own words to call it that.
The ombudsman noted that CBC’s choice to avoid the term made it “more difficult” to describe the nature of what happened on Oct. 7.
On that day, Hamas commandos crossed into Israel and rampaged through communities, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages.
Mr. Nagler said the description of those events by CBC was “executed well in some instances, but not all.” And while he said there was no breach of CBC’s Journalistic Standards and Practices, “there is room for improvement, nonetheless.”
The ombudsman says he received 307 complaints about the way CBC reported on the events and avoided use of the word “terrorist.”
Complaints were also related to a leaked internal memo from CBC News director of journalistic standards George Achi, who reminded journalists on Oct. 7 to “not refer to militants, soldiers or anyone else as ‘terrorists.”
Mr. Nagler shared some of the arguments made in the numerous complaints. One said not using the word “’terrorist' demeans the seriousness and barbarity of Hamas’ objectives and its repeated atrocities.”
Mr. Nagler said that it can be difficult to use the word “terrorism” because there is “no universally accepted definition.” But he remarked that by using “almost any credible definition,” the Hamas attack on Oct. 7 “ticks a lot of boxes.”
“The degree of violence, the targeting of civilians, and the taking of hostages all meet any test that I could imagine, regardless of where one stands on the question of Israel and Palestine,” he wrote.
But the ombudsman said there is no obligation to use the term, and that describing the events accurately is what is key.
To that end, Mr. Nagler provided in his decision examples from across CBC News platforms.
He noted coverage by CBC News’ flagship newscast The National on its first broadcast on Oct. 8 after the attack.
“Hamas militants came to murder, humiliate, and to shatter Israelis’ sense of safety, and the city of Sderot was one place they left in ruins,” said reporter Chris Brown. “Many died here, especially in the police station where perhaps 20 officers, according to Israeli media, were gunned down by militants who took them by surprise.”
Mr. Nagler said he realizes the use of the word “militants” could feel “too bland” for the complainant and does not describe the nature of the violence committed that day. “But in my judgment, the rest of that paragraph compensates adequately.”
In most examples he cited, Mr. Nagler found that CBC journalists had described the events accurately, but he singled out one broadcast from CBC Radio program “World Report” on Oct. 8 as inadequate.
No Apology
Conservative MPs have sought to hear from CBC President Catherine Tait and Mr. Achi in a House of Commons committee around its coverage of Hamas but were denied by other parties.Tory Deputy Leader Melissa Lantsman and MP Rachel Thomas have charged that CBC is “protecting Hamas in the court of public opinion” by not calling it a terrorist group.
Ms. Tait appeared before the Commons heritage committee on Nov. 2 and was challenged by the Conservatives on her organization’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war.
Ms. Lantsman remarked that CBC had inaccurately reported on an explosion at a hospital in Gaza on Oct. 17, which Canada and other countries later said was the result of an errant rocket fired from within Gaza.
“I want to know if you‘ll apologize to Jewish Canadians, I want to know if you’ll apologize to Canadians, and I want to know when we can expect a retraction from CBC,” said Ms. Lantsman.
“I will not apologize,” answered Ms. Tait “because [CBC’s] journalism is among the finest in the world.”
