CBC employees should exercise caution when commenting on controversial news stories on Twitter, according to a network ombudsman. Blacklock's Reporter says the advisory follows a tweet by a CBC producer expressing sympathy for a Palestinian activist arrested for threatening to kill Jews and drink their blood.“This is a healthy reminder for those journalists who feel compelled to weigh in on controversial news stories,” wrote Ombudsman Jack Nagler. “While you don’t carry the burden of balance on your social feeds the way CBC does as a whole, you are still expected to provide context where necessary.”“It might be helpful to think about social media the way you would about cutting a piece of wood,” added Nagler. “Measure twice and post once.”The guidance was issued after Samira Mohyeddin, a Toronto producer for the CBC Radio program The Current, tweeted on November 6 in sympathy for Ahed Tamimi, a Palestinian activist arrested for inciting terrorism. Mohyeddin noted that Tamimi was “taken in the middle of the night by Israeli Defence Force soldiers from her home in the occupied West Bank.”However, Mohyeddin’s post omitted critical context: Tamimi had been arrested for threatening to kill Jews and drink their blood. “Our message to the herds of settlers is we are waiting for you in all the West Bank cities from Hebron to Jenin,” Tamimi wrote on social media. “We will slaughter you and you will say what Hitler did was a joke. We will drink your blood and eat your skull. Come on, we are waiting for you.”Tamimi spent three weeks in Israeli custody and was released on November 29. According to Nagler, the CBC producer who tweeted in sympathy no longer works for the network. “The journalist should have included more context,” he said.The CBC Journalistic Standards and Practices guide recommends that staff exercise restraint on social media. “We consider perceptions created when we share, republish, link or interact with other people’s content,” it states. “We strive to avoid having such actions appear to be endorsements. When appropriate and possible, we provide context.”The CBC previously fired Winnipeg reporter Ahmar Khan in 2019 after he tweeted about “deep-rooted racism” on Hockey Night In Canada broadcasts. “It is long due time for Don Cherry’s Coach’s Corner to be cancelled,” tweeted Khan. “His xenophobic comments being aired weekly are deplorable. You know why black and brown kids don’t enjoy hockey? Because of the deep-rooted racism which we get to hear EVERY SINGLE WEEK on national TV.”A federal labour arbitrator overturned Khan’s firing in 2021, and he was later promoted to the network’s Ottawa newsroom.Don Cherry, who was fired in 2019 after criticizing “you people” for not observing Remembrance Day, never regained his position. Cherry, 90, had remarked, “You love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for a poppy.”
