By Lydia Lovric
Judging from a recent internal memo, the CBC may soon be known as the Cowardly Broadcasting Corporation.
The big wigs at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation are reminding their reporters to “exercise extreme caution” before using the words “terrorist” or “terrorism” to describe the deadly London bombings.
Apparently, referring to the London attacks – or even Sept. 11 – as acts of terror is too judgmental. The CBC wants its staff to remain neutral and unbiased. The memo, issued by Tony Burman (editor-in-chief of news and current affairs) urges journalists to consider more “neutral” terms.
“Rather than calling assailants ‘terrorists,’ we can refer to them as bombers, hijackers, gunmen (if we’re sure no women were in the group), militants, extremists, attackers or some other appropriate noun.”
(It’s only a matter of time before the words “militant” and “extremist” are likewise banned for being too judgmental.)
And here’s the kicker: “We don’t judge specific acts as ‘terrorism’ or people as ‘terrorists.’”
The memo was issued two days after the July 7 attack in London which claimed the lives of more than fifty people and injured countless others.
No doubt the weekend attacks in Egypt and Iraq which resulted in the death of more than 100 innocent civilians will also be categorized in a more benign manner. A quick check on CBC’s website confirms it.
There are long, detailed articles regarding the attacks, but no mention of the words “terrorist” or “terrorism.”
What is glaringly obvious to most reasonable people seems to be evading some of Canada’s top journalists. That, or political correctness has truly run amok. The CBC stands by its decision, however, following the lead of the BBC (another left-wing media outlet).
What do ordinary Canadians think of all this? When I posed the question to talk-radio listeners, the reaction was strong.
Most were absolutely livid about the policy and couldn’t believe tax dollars were being spent to fund an organization that refused to call a spade a spade. Many callers were angry, but not surprised. Just another example of zealous socialists bending over backward, trying not to offend anyone.
Even the terrorists.
But there were a few calls from those who support the CBC’s policy. One man said reporters shouldn’t refer to the London bombers as terrorists unless American soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq are also dubbed terrorists.
Another caller went so far as to call the London bombers “freedom fighters.”
One wonders how far the CBC plans to extend its policy. When someone commits murder here in Canada, will the CBC search for a less emotionally charged word? I can see it now. John Doe has been convicted of “committing an act which contributed to the untimely death of Jane Smith.”
What about child abuse? Will it now be fashionable to refer to pedophiles as “people who perpetrate an act of love considered immoral by a certain segment of the population?”
Obviously, it is the job of responsible journalists to try to remain neutral and unbiased.
But the fact is, what happened in London (and Egypt and Iraq and New York City) were clearly acts of terror.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, terrorism is described as: “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”
Perhaps the CBC will take issue with this definition of terrorism. Or maybe the CBC will acquiesce to this definition and still insist that what happened in London was not the work of terrorists.
I’m hopeful someone smarter than me can make sense of all this.
I always thought a terrorist was someone who purposely attacks innocent, unarmed civilians in the hope of spreading fear or terror.
But I’m not a CBC journalist.
Lydia Lovric is the host of Sunday Brunch on AM 900 CHML. Contact Lydia through her website: www.lydialovric.com.
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