CBC Ombudsman Says Network Didn’t Breach Standards for Not Calling Hamas ‘Terrorists’

Hamas terrorists move toward the border fence with Israel from Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images

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.

“CBC’s practice of referring to Hamas as terrorists only with attribution adheres to the corporation’s journalistic standards,” said CBC Ombudsman Jack Nagler in a decision released Nov. 23 about a reviewed complaint.