Memo to CBC staff;
‘Terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’: Exercise extreme caution before using either word.
More.
Related: “ACLU defends Nazi’s right to burn down ACLU headquarters.”
Avoid labelling any specific bombing or other assault as a “terrorist act” unless it’s attributed (in a TV or Radio clip, or in a direct quote on the Web). For instance, we should refer to the deadly blast at that nightclub in Bali in October 2002 as an “attack,” not as a “terrorist attack.” The same applies to the Madrid train attacks in March 2004, the London bombings in July 2005 and the attacks against the United States in 2001, which the CBC prefers to call “the Sept. 11 attacks” or some similar expression. (The BBC, Reuters and many others follow similar policies.)Terrorism generally implies attacks against unarmed civilians for political, religious or some other ideological reason. But it’s a highly controversial term that can leave journalists taking sides in a conflict.
By restricting ourselves to neutral language, we aren’t faced with the problem of calling one incident a “terrorist act” (e.g., the destruction of the World Trade Center) while classifying another as, say, a mere “bombing” (e.g., the destruction of a crowded shopping mall in the Middle East).
Use specific descriptions. Instead of reaching for a label (“terrorist” or “terrorism”) when news breaks, try describing what happened.
For example, “A suicide bomber blew up a bus full of unarmed civilians early Monday, killing at least two dozen people.” The details of these tragedies give our audience the information they need to form their own conclusions about what type of attack it was.
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 not practical to draft a list of all contexts in which the words “terrorist” and “terrorism” are appropriate in news stories. For instance, we might write that Canada and other countries have passed “anti-terrorism” legislation, or that intelligence agencies have lists of groups that they consider “terrorist” organizations, or that the U.S. government has issued another warning about an increased risk of “terrorist attacks” in the next few weeks, or that certain people have been charged with acts of “terrorism.” Use common sense.
The guiding principle should be that we don’t judge specific acts as “terrorism” or people as “terrorists.” Such labels must be attributed.
As CBC News editor-in-chief Tony Burman has pointed out: “Our preference is to describe the act or individual, and let the viewer or listener or political representatives make their own judgment.”
(Memo courtesy CBC watch)
The CBC is concerned about journalistic bias? LOL
Like I said…
seditious, low-life, vile scum of the earth. Journalists should be strung up like the bottom feeders they truly are.
I recently watched a female bingo caller on CTV Newsnet contort all over the map as she tried desparately not to use the “T” word.
Militant, extremist, gunmen … you name it, she used it. Except for terrorist.
The CBC, the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board, and Toronto’s Metro Hall sit side by side and have common access to Toronto’s underground PATH system. Having worked in the area for a number of months, my experience is that a large part of the working day for employees of these organizations is spent underground in the food court, especially at Tim Horton’s.
I predict that casualties would therefore be less than would normally expected at, say, a private sector firm. Pray for those unfortunates who return to their desk for loose change.
doug, not beheaded?
I wonder if the CBC has a rule on using the word “scary”.
I wonder if the CBC journalists are not supposed to judge if certain politicians are “scary” , let the listner make their own judgement.
Now you have me so angry Kate. I will be a mess at work tonight. (O:} Good gracious. When will these idiots see reality before they surrender completly to Dhimitude?
The MSM is out to lunch as usual while the barn is burning. Like how many times did they paper over the manyLIberal scandles . They kept these crimminals in power for years. Now there playing with our safty.
CBC out to be brought before a parlimentry commitee. On collusion & abetting the enemmy.At the very least all the administration should be in the unemployment lines.
I wonder sometimes if this is just not cowardice but they ae sympathizers with these serial killers.
I don’t actually mind the CBC rules on the word terrorism. I just wish they would apply these rigorous principles of objectivity elsewhere.
For example, they refer to the Fraser Insitute as a right-wing think tank but don’t refer to the
Council of Canadians as a left-wing think tank.
The terms “left wing” and “right wing” are far more vague and unhelpful than “terrorism”, and CBC’s uneven use of these terms makes it worse.
Fine don’t use the term terrorist.
Use insurrectionist or traitors.
So by their own definition, the Liberals are terrorists. “Terrorism generally implies attacks against unarmed civilians for political…reasons.”
The Liberals abused innocent unarmed civilians with their many scams and scandals… all for political purposes. Well, perhaps there was some personal gain and greed involved but by and large we the people have been terrorized by the Liberal Party of Canada!
Daniel
Changing just a few words, how about this for a more accurate and clear CBC memo?
“Avoid labelling any specific program or other broadcast as a “news program” unless it’s attributed (in a TV or Radio clip, or in a direct quote on the Web)…
By restricting ourselves to neutral language, we aren’t faced with the problem of calling one CBC program a “news program” (e.g., an objective, accurate, professional presentation of all pertinent information on a story, without political slant or ideological agenda) while classifying another as, say, a mere “propaganda piece” (e.g., ignoring Liberal Party corruption for years but creating Conservative corruption stories out of whole cloth in order to help the Liberal Party and hurt the Conservative Party electorally)…
The guiding principle should be that we don’t judge specific CBC programs as “journalism” or CBC people as “journalists.” Such labels must be attributed (in order that our in-front-of-camera staff may keep straight faces).
As CBC News editor-in-chief Tony Burman has pointed out: “Our preference is to describe the act or individual according to our progressive ideological values, and prevent the viewer or listener or political representatives from making their own accurate, informed judgment.”
Just curious… what word(s) would you use to describe the actions of the Reagan/Bush administration in Nicaragua in the ’80s? I think terms like terrorism, murder, and crimes against humanity are appropriate.
And before anybody starts yelling about it being ancient history, let’s not forget some central figures in the contra war are now highly placed in G.W. Bush’s administration: Elliot Abrams, John Negroponte, Otto Riech…
Hey, I’m all for this measure. Stay away from labels. Let the people make up their own minds about things. For starters, perhaps we should stop referring to CBC with labels such as “objective”, “journalism”, or “News”.
I wonder why the CBC hasn’t reported that this is really a Harper plot to get rid of the CBC? I don’t know, but getting rid of the CBC doesn’t sound like a terrorist plot to me–it sounds more like good economics. Maybe we shouldn’t be so hasty to lock them up just yet?
By restricting ourselves to neutral language, we aren’t faced with the problem of calling one incident a “terrorist act” (e.g., the destruction of the World Trade Center) while classifying another as, say, a mere “bombing” (e.g., the destruction of a crowded shopping mall in the Middle East).
A “mere” mall bombing!!!!
You can’t get out of bed each morning, suck up oxygen and calories, then write a memo this stupid and be employed in any industry but the MSM.
Question to Tony Burman, CBC editor: In the situation of a mere beheading with a lone victim + a knife + a terrorist film studio would “erratic unskilled surgical novices” be a less pejorative description than terrorist?
Seriously, is there any doubt, folks, that these sniveling burqa clad slobs in the MSM have surrendered to dhimmitude a long time ago? It would be all so laughable except they indirectly in their stupidity are the terrorists best friends here by trying to sanitize the evil.
From teh read Star http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1149587528586&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154
“It also indicated that the CBC building in downtown Toronto was a potential target”
What would the CBC have refered to such anevent as ?
Another creepy aspect to the CBC: anyone notice how they can’t go 1 night without doing a feature about what the Americans think about all this.
Anti-American, but desparate to know what they think.
they dont want to use the word terrorist. but they dont mind running all over Trona pointing out potential targets and descibing how one would make ammonium nitrate and fuel oil into something lethal.
and then publishing the lawyers comments saying Stephan Harper should stay out it and not say he is happy they were caught.
CBCpravda is starting to appear deranged as they try to find their way without getting axed.
Very ironic considering the CBC was allegedly a target; along with Harper’s head.
I wonder how they would have reported the bombing of their own building?
Imagine calling these guys terrorists.
This beheading politicians deal is an interesting angle… would they start with the women, or maybe Scott Brison? I can hear Jack Layton trying to reason with them as they carried him off to the chopping block, “No, no there’s a third way!!!”
O/T
Federal budget passes…unnoticed…
Worth reading for a good laugh.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Politics/2006/06/06/1617548.html
Guess we’re good for another year!
Daniel
I wonder how they would have reported the bombing of their own building?
Definately a “mere” bombing by “erratic novice chemists” if they follow their own guidelines?
Joanne,
Why would Islamofascists bomb the CBC?
They’d only be harming their own defacto allies, “Useful Fools” in Stalin’s words describing useful Western leftists.
I heard on CKNW today that one of the lawyers complained that he could only talk to his clients behind plexiglass — I should hope so. I know this is all alleged (though I would think after being investigated for 2 years that the authorities have it right), however I can also do without the “oh, he is such a good, quiet, peaceful, boy” interviews with parents/neighbours/friends/etc. Save it for the acquital.
Maryjane,
Before you crawl back into Castro’s asshole where you came from, take a look at this:
http://www.therealcuba.com
then maybe your atrophied brain can begin to comprehend that others in the world would like the things you enjoy every day and take for granted.
And if that makes you uncomfortable, why don’t you move to Venzuela or Cuba and let someone one from either country who feels trapped, and has intelligence, drive and ambition (that you lack) move into your place?
Doug, I nominate your 04:18 PM post to Maryanne as the best-reasoned, most modest and most-productive SDA post of the day. Congratulations.
From the Al Quaeda manual:
http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/aqmanual.pdf
Missions Required of the Military Organization:
The main mission for which the Military Organization is
responsible is:
The overthrow of the godless regimes and their replacement with
an Islamic regime. Other missions consist of the following:
1. Gathering information about the enemy, the land, the
installations, and the neighbors.
2. Kidnaping enemy personnel, documents, secrets, and arms.
3 . Assassinating enemy personnel as well as foreign tourists.
4. Freeing the brothers who are captured by the enemy.
5. Spreading rumors and writing statements that instigate
people against the enemy.
6. Blasting and destroying the places of amusement, immorality,
and sin; not a vital target.
7 . Blasting and destroying the embassies and attacking vital
economic centers.
8. Blasting and destroying bridges leading into and out of the
cities.
…
[The member] should have a calm personality that allows him
to endure psychological traumas such as those involving
bloodshed, murder, arrest, imprisonment, and reverse
psychological traumas such as killing one or all of his
Organization’s comrades. [He should be able] to carry out
the work.
Items 7 and 8 look of interest in light of recent events in Canada.
Canada plot suspect accused of plan to behead PM
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-06-06T181538Z_01_N05327372_RTRUKOC_0_US-SECURITY-CANADA.xml&archived=False
Yep, these characters fit the modus operandi.
Now, you want SCARY? This would fit the bill.
However, it is scary FOR PM Stephen Harper.
Where are all those Stephen Harper is SCARY advocates now?
Calmly chop the Prime Minister’s head off?
Welcome to horror fantasyland become reality; if this is all correctly videotaped and wiretapped for evidence these disturbed young lads will be going away for a long time.
The ice in their veins crowd has arrived. Welcome to Hades ladies and gentlemen.
COme one give this islamofascist lawyer a ring. Tell him what you think of someone defending blatant terrorist. Rot in hell Gary Batasar! Long live Canada long live freedom!
Phone: 905-866-6464
Owner: Gary Batasar
Law firm
‘So refreshing to not be the only person in the room with a beef against the CBC. As nearly everyone has pointed out here, they are arch hypocrites: “Let’s be neutral when it comes to Muslims and all ethnic and/or victim minorities, but when it comes to groups we don’t like such as “right-wing” groups [no, you never hear a group referred to as “left-wing” on the CBC] or “anti-abortion” groups [who prefer to be called pro-life in keeping with the MSM’s appellation of their counterparts as pro-abortion] we’ll call them every name in the book.” How enlightened of them.
Their look-down-their-noses attitude is sickening but, don’t you know?, they’re progressive, open, and tolerant, and the rest of us aren’t. This is just what you’d expect from a group of “kept” journalists. In the past 13 years, they haven’t had to do very much for their keep, except show up for work and pimp for the left-lib liars in power. The pay cheques and perks keep coming, whether anyone watches the CBC or not. ‘Nice work if you can get it.
This has got to change. I can’t see PMSH being able to do a whole lot, though, until he gets a majority government, and the CBC will be fighting him and his government tooth and nail to try to prevent this from happening.
Tired of disaffected youths? Not sure what to call them? Who cares! Now you can play the new computer game, Paris Riots!
http://parisriots.free.fr/page6/page6.html
if the CBC ever had to do a phone blitz like TVO or PBS, it would like like a scit from Second city, who knows maybe the dream will come true someday Public Brodcasting…
& with every $500 donation we will send you a dvd on DO’S & DONT’S of brodcast Journalism….
Of course, the CBC has a difficult time using the “t” word. They are also averse to teaching us about the Koran even though our PM was threatened with a beheading:
008.012
YUSUFALI: Remember thy Lord inspired the angels (with the message): “I am with you: give firmness to the Believers: I will instil terror into the hearts of the Unbelievers: smite ye above their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them.”
047.004
YUSUFALI: Therefore, when ye meet the Unbelievers (in fight), smite at their necks; At length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly (on them): thereafter (is the time for) either generosity or ransom: Until the war lays down its burdens. Thus (are ye commanded): but if it had been Allah’s Will, He could certainly have exacted retribution from them (Himself); but (He lets you fight) in order to test you, some with others. But those who are slain in the Way of Allah,- He will never let their deeds be lost.
Mike, wow. Taken literally, that is quite frightening.
Protectcanada – there is no point jumping on the defendent’s lawyer. Even the most evil among us are entitled to a fair trial, if apprehended in a civilian setting(see below), with a vigorous non-paritsan defense team. That is part of our English heritage and what separates us from the scum that want to kill us and most of the world’s uncivilized societies.
These alleged terrorists will get a fair trial. That’s a given.
Jihadi combatants nabbed from the battlefield at Gitmo are very lucky because even under the Geneva Convention as non-uniformed combatants we could have summarily shot them under the law, on the spot, without a trial. Boneheaded lefty’s don’t get distinction.
These creeps got caught in the suburbs not the battlefield. Lucky them. A civilian lawyer goes with the territory. I can live with that.
“Batasar said he was given an eight-page synopsis of the allegations, including storming Parliament, blowing up some of the buildings and taking politicians hostage to demand the withdrawal of Canadian troops in Afghanistan.”
Good. Now that the police, media, and lawyers have repeatedly confirmed that these alleged saboteurs’ motive was purely political and motivated by Canada’s invasion of Afghanistan we can proceed from there. Anybody who tells you otherwise is selling an easily disproven lie.
You know, leaving the Afghanistan and Palestine issues aside for a moment I don’t see how the Conservatives can lose the next election. But when our stupid and immoral foreign policies are added to the equation I see trouble on the horizon for the Tories.
It took twelve years to get rid of the Liberals.
Is Afghanistan worth a return to Liberal government?
Because that’s what might very well happen. For starters, you can forget about winning any seats in Quebec next election. Poll after poll shows that a majority of Canadians are opposed to the Afghanistan mission and that opposition will only continue to grow – especially now that a firm, undeniable cause/effect relationship between our invasion of Afghanistan and this terrorist response has been established.
Complain about the CBC all you want, that’s fair game.
But “Protectcanada,” publishing a phone number so that people can harrass a lawyer for taking a case where noone’s been proven guilty yet, crosses the line from a law-abiding democratic society into territory reminiscent of the cess-pool failed states we’re supposed to be cleaning up.
How do you defend a democratic society if you don’t respect the principles upon which it’s based? Like presumption of innocence. Like the right to an attorney.
Maybe you should join the Taliban.
Bob
You have to be kidding if you don’t realize that these terrorists were plotting attacks long beforte this year.
I hope Canadians aren’t that clueless and think they just started ploting in the last few weeks -incredible that anybody would thing so.
Bob
You have to be kidding if you don’t realize that these terrorists were plotting attacks long before this year.
I hope Canadians aren’t that clueless and think these terrorists just started ploting and organizing and starting their rants in the mosques only in the last few weeks -incredible that anybody would think so.
Now that the reality of “terrorism” (oops!..I said the bad word) has finally hit home, the beginning of a new era in Canada will only truly start when these fanaticals are put in jail once the trails are finished. These guilty individuals will be the tools by which all the other world terrorist organizations will use to begin to seriously inflict terrorist actions against Canada. Canada would do well to prepare for the consequences as a result of the jail terms for these people that are sure to follow. Canada has been fortunate to have escaped any serious harm up till now but those days are gone and its just a matter of timing as to when the gloves come truly off after these guilty men are put in jail.
I see that Bob’s self-delusion machine is running at full tilt today.
“…firm, undeniable cause/effect relationship between our invasion of Afghanistan and this terrorist response has been established.”
This is false, for reasons already pointed out, but even if it was true, so what? Do you think our foreign policy should be dictated by the desires of violent extremists? What else would you like to do to make them happy? And even if you enjoy grovelling, as you seem to, it won’t help for long.
Bob,
Did you ever complain about Canada being in Afghanistan before the Tories formed government? How do you blame Stephen Harper when he wasn’t PM when the decision to go to Afghanistan was made two PM’s ago?
I don’t blame you for being against war, it is hell, senseless hell, but when someone hit’s you in the back of the head, you have to hit back before they hit you again. And sometimes you have to hit when your neighbor is hit, because you know you are next, or because you have entered into mutual protection agreements that must be honored.
Wars have been fought since the dawn of time, Bob, and unfortunately they will be fought long after all of us have turned to dust and been forgotten.
Bob, that’s about a Nevillish a statement as I’ve ever seen posted.
Why is our foreign policy “immoral”?
The CBC, Bob, steve d, and on….
The trolls in our midst would support the Head-Choppers no matter what. Whatever it takes to further the hard-left bar-nut agenda. Pathetic….
Ah…now this explains my warped thinking; thank you ‘experts’. I now have been enlightened.
TORONTO — Canadians must understand that an alleged plan to launch a terrorist attack in Ontario wasn’t engineered by Muslims, but instead was a plot by people who happened to be Muslim , experts, politicians and community leaders said Monday.
(This is not a joke…..I am not sure what planet we live on anymore.) Reported by CTV here
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060605/experts_terrorism_060506/20060605?hub=TorontoHome
Soooo….. I take it that if the CBC refered to Reagan/ papa doc Bush as terrorists or that some of baby doc Bush’s factotums were terrorists, you’d all be alright with that?
Maryjane, your use of equivalencies does not change what these people represent – terrorism. BTW, a working definition of terrorism is the use of damaging property and killing people (as an intention in itself), in order to corrupt the population against its government.
Your attempts to rationalize this terrorism is pathetic. Criticize GWB or anyone else you want; it will never justify what the accused apparently had in mind, especially considering they had all the advantages of being Canadian, and chose to isolate and radicalize themselves.
I am very encouraged by the reaction of the Muslim community; they are on our side.
Don’t worry about the lawyers. Their job is to create reasonable doubt and zealously defend their clients. You see in Canada and the USA, rule of law does apply and people are entitled to present a defence. How evil. If only we could be as enlightend as Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan.
Some poor cognitively disassociated soul whimpered: “You have to be kidding if you don’t realize that these terrorists were plotting attacks long beforte this year.”
Ah, I’ve seen this extraordinarily dishonest argument before. Nice try. We invaded Afghanistan in 2002. If you think Afghanis are happy that you are imposing your gay marriage and feminism and high tax rates and socialism on them – to say nothing about the killing Muslims – you are mistaken, my friend.
Our involvement in Afghanistan did not start last year and you know it, so stop embarrasing yourself with that brittle bunk. By your reasoning, it must be inferred that Afghanis and Muslims around the world were just tickety boo with Canada invading a sovereign state and occupying it for three years, then, on a dime, they magically became upset with us a few months ago due to a shift in the mission. Which of course is pure fantasy.
Peter, if for example somebody invaded your house, but waited an hour before smashing and stealing stuff, do you expect anyone to believe that you would be peachy with the home invasion for an hour, then ony became concerned when the inevitable smash n’ grab happened? Do you think your talking to children?
Do you believe the police, courts, and media are all conspiring against you, Peter? Because they’ve been extremely clear about this: their motive was retaliation for Afghanistan.
I have better things to do than argue with trolls, but I will not have my great nation played like a chump. So I’ll continue to provide factually accurate information and logical arguments toward that end as deemed necessary.
Bob, Bob, Bob…”Afghanis are happy that you are imposing your gay marriage and feminism and high tax rates and socialism on them – to say nothing about the killing Muslims ” Ummmmm….funny…all that stuff foisted on Canadians, and now Afghanis(according to you) was done by Lieberals. Who are the chumps???
I would not be so impatient of CBC’s political correctness if I was not seeing it everywhere the liberals have had their hooks.
Apart from the many other media outlets calming the masses,it seems firmly entrenched in Ontario’s society.TO’s top cop was nothing short of an embarrassment as he smiled at the muslim leaders press conference.As they whined about themselves being the real victims,he kept assuring them he would keep them safe.He even smiled through their accusations of police misconduct.
Torontonians especially seem to eat this right up.It’s like the land of”don’t worry,be happy”!
I’ve never before witnessed such a bizarre reaction from any country dealing with a national threat.An internal one at that!
What is wrong with letting these people know that we are outraged,we demand accountability from muslim leaders and at the same time we are scared for our families’safety.How can we expect to cross any racial boundaries if we can’t even be somewhat honest with each other.
From what I have witnessed these past few days,I’ve realized I have seriously misjudged the liberal movement in this country and I think they deserve credit where credit is due…They truly are capable,hardworking,awesome sheep herders!!!
careful stepping off that high horse Bob, wouldn’t want you to hurt your self importance.