Sheila Gunn Reid: CBC refused to call Hamas 'terrorists'—but pushed conspiracies about the Freedom Convoy
On yesterday’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, guest host Sheila Gunn Reid discussed a 2023 letter circulated by then-Director of Journalism Standards George Achi, advising journalists not to refer to Hamas personnel as 'terrorists.'
On yesterday’s episode of The Ezra Levant Show, guest host Sheila Gunn Reid discussed a 2023 letter circulated by then-Director of Journalism Standards George Achi, advising journalists not to refer to Hamas personnel as “terrorists.” His reason? The word is too “highly politicized” and reflects a “certain narrative.”
That letter was written seven months before October 7th, 2023—when Hamas, a group Canada has officially listed as a terrorist organization since 2002, slaughtered 1,400 people in Israel, including eight Canadians. Women and girls were raped and murdered. Families were massacred. Babies were beheaded. If that’s not terrorism, nothing is.
And yet, four days after the massacre, Achi sent a directive to every CBC newsroom: Do not call them terrorists. Don’t call them militants, don’t call them soldiers, don’t use the word at all.
For years before this, CBC routinely identified Hamas as a terrorist group. But now? Suddenly “terrorist” is too loaded, too political—the one label they won’t touch. And Canadians noticed. In 2023, CBC racked up 4,785 viewer complaints—a 45% jump from the year before. Most of them were about its antiseptic, both-sides coverage of Hamas’ atrocities.
But here’s where it gets really rich—CBC only gets squeamish about “taking sides” when it’s actual terrorists. When it comes to peaceful Canadians they don’t like? Oh, then they’ll take sides all day long—and even invent a narrative if they need to.
Let’s rewind to January 2022. Nil Köksal, anchor of Power & Politics, is interviewing Liberal public safety minister Marco Mendicino as the Freedom Convoy is rolling into Ottawa. And completely unprompted, she floats this:
And this is why Canadians don’t trust the CBC. They don’t just report the news—they decide the side they’re on first, then build the “journalism” to match it.
And for this, you’re forced to hand them over a billion dollars a year.
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