Trump’s Republican Party blocks CBC/Radio-Canada from convention after 9/11 policy controversy

Donald Trump speaks after officially accepting the Republican presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Photo by Alex Wong /Getty Images

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OTTAWA — U.S President Donald Trump’s Republican Party has revoked the CBC/Radio-Canada’s press access to its upcoming midterm convention, citing the public broadcaster’s now-reversed policy not to refer to 9/11 as “terrorism” without direct attribution, National Post has learned.

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A CBC spokesperson confirmed Monday that the Republican National Convention (RNC) had revoked access for both CBC and Radio-Canada to its major party gathering on Sept. 9 and 10, ahead of key mid-term elections.

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The unusual press credential revocation came following a week of controversy about an internal memo from the broadcaster reminding reporters and editors of a “longstanding language guidance” not to refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as “terrorism” without attribution.

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In an email to National Post, Chuck Thompson, the CBC’s head of public affairs, said the public broadcaster is reviewing the RNC’s decision. “It is a disappointing development; we hope it will be reconsidered,” he wrote.

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The RNC’s move also appears to be the latest attempt by Trump’s administration and party to fire salvos at Canada since free trade talks between Ottawa and Washington fell apart late last week.

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It could suggest Trump’s Republican party is also looking beyond tariffs for ways to pressure Canada during the ongoing trade war.

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The RNC did not respond to emailed queries by deadline Monday.

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On Friday evening, following media reports about the broadcaster’s memo on the Sept. 11 attacks and ensuing criticism from both sides of the border, the CBC wrote in an editor’s blog that it had reversed the policy.

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But earlier in the day, the RNC sent a heated letter to CBC/Radio-Canada revoking all the public broadcaster’s previous-approved press credentials to the upcoming major political gathering in Dallas, TX. The gathering is an important press event as it will unite Republican heavyweights on the eve of key U.S. mid-term elections.

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In the missive, the RNC reprised much of the fiery criticism from Trump administration officials last week regarding the CBC’s former policy on the use of the unattributed use of the word terrorism around 9/11. (Radio-Canada did not have such an editorial policy.)

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The letter cited social media posts stating CBC had instructed employees “do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.” It also claimed that the public broadcaster had refused to apologize for the policy.

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The letter also said that allowing CBC/Radio-Canada to attend the convention would be an “insult” to victims of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

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In a blog post hours later on Friday, Basem Boshra, CBC’s senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, wrote that a leaked memo about the policy “has caused significant concern, anger and hurt for many people who believe CBC News seeks to minimize or obscure the horror of that day and who was behind it.”