OTTAWA (AP) — Canada’s public broadcaster said Friday it is making an exception to its policy of not labeling specific attacks as terrorism for the 9/11 attacks after coming under fire over a memo restating it.
Like other news outlets including The Associated Press, CBC/Radio-Canada's standards normally don't allow reporters to describe events as terrorist attacks unless they are quoting someone else's words.
But the director of the FBI, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, Republican members of Congress and Canada's Conservative party all criticized the CBC following media reports about a memo reminding journalists of the policy sent to staff ahead of the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Basem Boshra, senior director of journalistic standards and public trust, said in a blog post late Friday afternoon that CBC would make an exception to the rule for the 9/11 attacks.
He said a “leaked excerpt” of its language policy had raised questions that the public broadcaster must now answer.
“We are doing so to remove what has unfortunately (and unintentionally) become an impediment to clarity and public understanding,” he said.
“At the same time, as new acts of politically or ideologically motivated violence occur in our world, we will continue to follow the journalistically sound practice of attributing causes and motivations to officials and experts.”
Canada's Culture Minister Marc Miller praised the move on social media, calling it a “welcome change to what was a piece of pedantic and foolish guidance that caused legitimate anger.”
Boshra’s post was published less than an hour after Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree issued a press release saying the Canadian government “has always recognized 9/11 as the deadliest terrorist attack in history, and we unequivocally condemn terrorism in all its forms.”
In the post, Boshra said CBC News “has never said what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, was not terrorism, as some commentators have stated in recent days. We have reported fully and accurately on the reasons and motivations for those attacks as determined by police, governments and an independent commission. We’ve just made sure to do it with attribution.”
The fracas began after Toronto Sun columnist Warren Kinsella reported on a memo, in which he said CBC News staff were told “do not refer to the Sept. 11 attacks as terrorist attacks.”
That led to a wave of criticism in the United States.
“Any agency in Canada that doesn’t publicly reject this bastardization of history, and an insult to the souls lost during our largest terrorist attack in U.S. history will no longer have friend in this FBI,” FBI Director Kash Patel said an online post late Thursday.
A group of Republican representatives in Congress also posted earlier in the day: “What possible motive could there be for sanitizing the worst terrorist attack on American soil? Care to explain, @Canada?”
On Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra weighed in, sharing Patel’s post and saying the FBI has been responsible or instrumental in disrupting terrorist and violent criminal organizations operating in Canada multiple times this year.
Hoekstra added: “Failure to recognize and confront radical and terrorist ideologies significantly endangers our efforts to establish and harmonize a shared national and economic security partnership.”
CBC spokesperson Kerry Kelly told the The Canadian Press that it was the public broadcaster’s practice to use “extreme caution” in using the words terrorism or terrorist.
She said the memo “was a reminder of the long-standing practice that favors the use of these terms with attribution in our reporting, a practice shared by many of the world’s top journalistic organizations.” Kelly did not provide a copy of the memo.
She pointed to a 2023 blog post in which CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon wrote that the outlet often uses the word terrorist, but with attribution.
“Attribution of the word ‘terrorist’ has been our policy for decades — mirrored by other news organizations such as the BBC, AP, AFP and Reuters, among many others,” Fenlon wrote.
FILE - The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation logo is projected onto a screen on May 29, 2019, in Toronto. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press via AP,File)
DENVER (AP) — Cale Makar and the Colorado Avalanche agreed to a $163.2 million, eight-year extension on Friday that will make him the highest paid player in league history.
The terms of the deal were confirmed by his agency, Bartlett Hockey.
Makar’s extension is set to be the the richest in NHL history, surpassing the eight-year, $136 million extension signed by Minnesota forward Kirill Kaprizov last September. Makar's deal runs through the 2034-35 season.
With an annual average value (AAV) of $20.4 million beginning in 2027-28, Makar’s deal eclipses that of San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini, who signed a five-year, $94 million extension in late July and has an $18.8 million AAV.
Makar’s record-setting deal could push the limit even higher with Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Toronto's Auston Matthews eligible for extensions next summer.
“I couldn’t be more excited to continue my journey here with the Avalanche in this amazing city of Denver,” Makar said in a video posted on social media by the team, calling it a historic day. “Here’s to another hopefully amazing nine years.”
The 27-year-old Makar is coming off a season in which he had 20 goals and 59 assists. He finished second to Zach Werenski of Columbus in the Norris Trophy voting, an award that goes to the league’s top defenseman. Makar has won the award twice over his career.
The cap hit for Makar for last season was $9 million after signing a six-year, $54 million contract in 2021. The new deal for Makar now sets the bar for fellow standout defensemen Quinn Hughes of Minnesota and Werenski.
Securing the long-term services of Makar was a high priority this offseason for president of hockey operations/general manager Joe Sakic, who maintained that Makar was “going to finish his career” in Colorado. Makar was taken fourth overall by Colorado in 2017 out of the University of Massachusetts.
The salary cap is projected to be $113.5 million in 2027-28 when Makar's new deal begins. He will take up roughly 18% of the room for a team with a Cup-ready roster. Left wing Artturi Lehkonen is set to be a free agent after this season, along with center Nicolas Roy and goaltender Scott Wedgewood.
Makar was banged up heading into a Western Conference Final where the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights. An upper-body injury sidelined him for Games 1 and 2, but he returned for the final two contests. Sakic recently said that Makar is slated to be ready for training camp.
It’s been a busy offseason for Sakic, who’s stepping back into the role of GM after Chris MacFarland left to lead the front office in Nashville. Among the deals orchestrated by Sakic was sending Valeri Nichushkin to the Blue Jackets for draft picks. It was a way to free up space to negotiate the extension for Makar.
“Cale is a generational defenseman and his accomplishments speak for themselves,” Sakic said in a statement. "He is obviously a tremendous competitor and player but even more so a great person, teammate and ambassador for the Avalanche and the Rocky Mountain region. We are beyond thrilled to get this deal done and have Cale in an Avalanche sweater for the next decade.”
A native of Calgary, Alberta, Makar has turned in four 20-goal seasons in his career, one of just 12 defensemen in league history to post at least that many campaigns. He also notched his 500th NHL point on March 28 in his 467th career game. He’s the fourth-fastest defenseman to reach that milestone, behind only Hall of Famers Bobby Orr (396 games), Paul Coffey (422) and Denis Potvin (465).
The core of Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and captain Gabriel Landeskog helped Colorado to a Stanley Cup title in 2022. Makar had eight goals and 21 assists during the championship run to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.
Makar's younger brother, Taylor, recently signed a two-year contract with the Avalanche that runs through the 2027-28 season. Taylor Makar made his NHL debut on Nov. 1 in San Jose, as the brothers became the first siblings to appear in the same contest while playing for the Avalanche. The Stastny brothers — Anton, Peter and Marian — accomplished the feat when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
“Colorado has truly become a second home to us, and we are so grateful to be here,” Cale Makar said. "I look forward to getting back on the ice with my teammates and continuing to work toward our goal of bringing the Stanley Cup back to the Mile High City.”
AP Hockey Writers Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow contributed to this report.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL
FILE - Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar (8) skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh, March 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar, center, celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Anaheim Ducks, March 3, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
FILE - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar skates with the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars, March 6, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)
