CTV News Vice President addresses questions from MPs regarding edited Poilievre video

October 10, 2024 TruthUSA

CTV News vice-president Richard Gray informed MPs that a recent video broadcast by the news outlet misinterpreted comments from the opposition leader, marking a first in his 33-year career.

Gray addressed the House of Commons ethics committee regarding a video on Sept. 22 that suggested Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre had proposed a non-confidence motion against the Liberal government over dental care. In reality, Poilievre was discussing issues like crime and inflation, stating, “That’s why it’s time to put forward a motion for a carbon tax election.”

During the Oct. 10 committee meeting, Gray expressed, “This is a deeply regrettable situation. In my 33-year career in television news, this is the first time I have encountered something like this. I trust that our response demonstrates the importance we place on upholding our commitment to fairness, objectivity, and the truth.”

Upon receiving a complaint from Poilievre’s office, CTV initially issued an apology on Sept. 23, acknowledging that his comment was “taken out of context” due to a “misunderstanding during the editing process.”

Unsatisfied with the response, Poilievre’s media relations director issued a statement on Sept. 24, stating that unless CTV admitted to “malicious editing” and “omission of context to undermine” Poilievre, the Conservatives would not engage with CTV News, Bell (its parent company), and its lobbyists.

CTV later issued another statement, offering an “irrevocable apology,” and revealing that two staff members implicated in the video were removed for violating editorial policies and practices.

Gray confirmed that one of the individuals was a reporter who altered a script after it had been approved by the producer. The other was an editor who spliced together fragments from two segments of a statement, creating a clip that had not actually been spoken to cover a technical issue with the original recording.

When questioned about the motive behind their actions, Gray mentioned that the reporter modified the clip “to remove the reference to the carbon tax under the pretext of shortening the story.” He stated, “There was no explicit request for the reporter to alter their story for timing purposes.”

Conservative MP Andrew Scheer challenged the reporter’s explanation, questioning if the alteration was genuinely due to time constraints.

Gray responded by denying any intention to spread disinformation or mislead the audience, emphasizing, “I disagree with the accusation that we are engaged in a disinformation campaign. It is our duty to present all perspectives on public policy matters in a balanced, precise, and impartial manner so that Canadians can make well-informed decisions.”

Noé Chartier contributed to this report.

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