CTV News has terminated two journalists following an internal investigation that revealed they manipulated footage of Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, falsely portraying his comments during a media scrum.
An official statement from CTV News was released Thursday evening confirming that an investigation found that two members of the CTV News team were responsible for altering a video clip and manipulating it for a story.
“Their actions violate our editorial standards and are unacceptable. Those individuals are no longer members of the CTV News team,” reads the statement.
CTV News added that its duty is to provide independent, accurate, fair, and balanced coverage.
“We will continue our work to earn the trust of the millions of Canadians who turn to CTV News each and every day,” concluded the statement.
The controversy erupted after CTV broadcasted an edited clip on Sunday that appeared to show Poilievre advocating for a motion to defeat the Liberal government’s dental care program. However, the original footage revealed that Poilievre was discussing the carbon tax, not dental care.
During the Sunday night broadcast, CTV News anchor Christina Tenaglia reported, “Close to 650,000 Canadians have already received care. While the continuation of the plan appears safe for now, the events of the last week have raised new questions over the plan’s future,” leading into the altered clip.
The segment then showed Poilievre allegedly saying, “That’s why we need to put forward a motion.” However, he never said that.
The clip was manipulated by removing the first part of Poilievre’s statement, in which he said, “We need a carbon tax so Canadians can vote to axe the tax, build the homes, fix the budget, and stop the crime with a common-sense Conservative government.” The broadcast then spliced this with his comment, “That’s why it’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election.”
Following a letter from Poilievre’s media relations director, Sebastian Skamski, CTV issued a correction.
“Last night, in a report on this broadcast, we presented a comment by the Official Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre that was taken out of context. It left viewers with the impression the Conservative non-confidence motion was to defeat the Liberals’ dental care program,” the network said on Monday. “In fact, the Conservatives have made it clear the motion is based on a long list of issues with the Liberal government, including the carbon tax.”
CTV News’ post to X on Monday apologizing received overwhelmingly negative feedback. Conversely, the update on the firing had far more likes than comments, with many of the comments noting surprise at accountability in legacy media. However, there were many comments suggesting that CTV News used these two journalists as scapegoats.
The apology followed various Conservative MPs and pundits expressing outrage at CTV, with some calling it “interference” or accusing CTV of pushing propaganda on Canadians or spreading disinformation to please the Prime Minister who subsidizes them
Thursday’s statement reiterated the news network’s regret.
“We sincerely and unreservedly apologize for the manner this report went to air and the false impression it created,” reads the statement.
The two journalists who took the fall remain unknown.