CBC’s top official is standing by the state broadcaster’s erroneous reporting on a Gaza hospital attack that never happened.
“I will not apologize because our journalism is among the finest in the world,” CBC CEO Catherine Tait told Conservative MPs Thursday. “Our journalists operate in an independent fashion independent of management, independent of the board of directors and independent of government and political influence.”
Tait faced intense scrutiny in an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, where Conservative MPs Melissa Lantsman and Rachael Thomas questioned her regarding the CBC’s coverage of the incident.
Lantsman raised concerns about a headline stating that Palestinians claimed “hundreds killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital.”
“You said that you stand by the statement Palestinians say hundreds killed in an Israeli airstike on a hospital. It is a headline that has been debunked by governments across the world including even our own prime minister, albeit seven days late. So I want to know if you’ll apologize to Canadians and I want to know when we can expect a retraction from CBC,” asked Lantsman.
CBC was among several media outlets around the world who accepted at face value a Hamas claim that Israel killed 500 people with an airstrike against Gaza’s al-Ahli Baptist Hospital. In fact, a Hamas rocket fell short and blew up in the hospital parking lot, with no confirmed casualties.
Thomas questioned the lack of a correction notice regarding the story.
“I’m asking the CBC with regard to your journalistic standards, you say that you’re supposed to offer a correction notice. That didn’t happen. Why?” asked Thomas.
“Again I defend our journalism and its independence. Our journalists conduct themselves in an independent fashion. I cannot answer the question as to when they post a correction or when they do not, that is their business and they conduct themselves according to the journalistic standards and practices,” said Tait.
During the committee hearing, Conservative MPs faced interruptions from Liberal and NDP committee members when attempting to question Tait.
In addition to the hospital bombing controversy, CBC has faced criticism for its policy of not referring to Hamas militants perpetrating violence in Israel as “terrorists.”
This policy remains in place despite backlash from Jewish advocacy organizations. CBC’s director of journalistic standards and public trust, George Achi, instructed journalists not to use the term “terrorists” when covering the conflict.
Achi argued that the designation of “terrorists” is a matter of opinion, not fact, given the politicized nature of the term.
Hamas is officially recognized as a terrorist group in Canada.
The leaked email from Achi sparked significant backlash, particularly from Jewish groups, leading to an ongoing debate over terminology and its implications in news reporting.
