CBC journalists were asked to avoid saying "mother tongue" outside direct quotes when reporting stories. .“Yes, the old expression ‘mother tongue’ is now widely considered inapt,” said CBC planning producer Allison Brachman in a Wednesday email. .“Therefore, we should generally avoid it unless attributed.” .The email said this information is guidance for reporting on Statistics Canada census data about languages. Brachman said she spoke with CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices Director George Achi to make the decision. .The email said an example of an acceptable time to say mother tongue would be if a teacher talks about the Suzuki mother tongue approach to learning a musical instrument. .It said common acceptable alternatives are first language and native tongue, but the context of native needs to be clarified. .CBC Head of Public Affairs Chuck Thompson said the news outlet strives to use fact-based, precise language. ."We constantly update our language guidelines to help our staff report accurately on current affairs," said Thompson.."Just to be clear, there is no value judgment by CBC News on terms such as 'mother tongue,' even if we choose to use more precise terminology.".He said a memo such as this one is common and "provide quick references to journalists who are on tight deadlines and are looking for practical, accurate, and consistent language.".This email comes after CBC called on Canadians in November to censor their own speech for allegedly racist and discriminatory terms. .The list of words was compiled by CBC employees and vetted by anti-racist and language experts. .Among the words cited as hateful were blackmail, savage, and brainstorm. .CBC turned the record sum of cash they received from the Canadian government in 2020 into its worst ratings in history. .READ MORE: CBC viewership hits record lows as subsidies hit record highs.Despite receiving $1.5 billion of taxpayer money, CBC dropped to less than 3.9% of viewership across Canada in 2018-2019, down more than 25% in one year..The figures showed 53% of Canadians are watching on-demand TV or discretionary channels, and another 25% are tuning into other private channels like CTV or Global.
