What to know
- Queen’s Park reporter Tina Yazdani announced she was no longer with CityNews after years at the outlet, with reports alleging some of her stories about Doug Ford’s government were removed.
- Political figures like Marit Stiles, Kristyn Wong-Tam and former MPP Faisal Hassan praised her work and questioned the circumstances of her firing.
- Journalists including Rachel Gilmore criticized the move, sparking broader debate about the role of media in holding power to account.
Political leaders in Ontario are speaking out after CityNews reporter Tina Yazdani was reportedly fired from the media outlet.
The journalist announced on Monday through a social media post that she was no longer working at CityNews after years with the outlet.
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In addition to Yazdani’s comments, a report by Policorner revealed that the journalist’s abrupt dismissal came as some of her stories involving Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government had allegedly been removed from the CityNews website.
The reporter last appeared on CityNews on March 26, where she reported on the provincial budget.
City News’ spokesperson Charmaine Khan confirmed to Now Toronto that Yazdani is no longer with the news outlet, but said it won’t “share details on individual employee matters.”
In response to reports that some of Yazdani’s stories on Ford’s government were removed, Khan said stories are fully reviewed and removed from publication if they don’t meet the company’s editorial standards.
“Before any story is removed, the story is thoroughly and independently reviewed by our senior news editorial team to determine if it meets our editorial standards. A story is removed if it is determined through this process that it does not meet our editorial standards. Our news teams closely follow the company’s news policy, which ensures editorial independence is upheld in our newsrooms,” the spokesperson added.
The outlet did not confirm whether stories have in fact been removed or which of them might have been removed.
Politicians react to Yazdani’s dismissal
Yazdani’s unexpected dismissal has sparked reactions online, including by some current and former local politicians and journalists.
Hours after the journalist’s announcement, NDP Leader Marit Stiles took to social media to wish luck to Yazdani, praising her for always “asking the tough questions.”
“You’re an exceptionally talented and fair reporter who never shied away from asking the tough questions. The Press Gallery’s job is to hold all of us to account, and that’s the work you did at Queen’s Park every single day. Wherever you go next, they’re getting a great reporter and person,” Stiles said on X.
NDP MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam, who represents Toronto Centre, also reacted to the news, suggesting that Education Minister Paul Calandra should be fired, as one of the stories that were allegedly removed from CityNews supposedly involved the minister.
“Fire Calandra. Tina Yazdani did her job,” Wong-Tam wrote regarding the news.
Former NDP MPP Faisal Hassan has also been speaking out about Yazdani’s dismissal, questioning CityNews for letting her go.
“Tina is a superb journalist who shed light on important issues, what’s going on? Are we seeing a shift in priorities?” he wrote on Monday.
Since then, the former MPP has reposted some of Yazdani’s past stories online, and made a second post praising her for “doing a superb job.”
“Thank you very much for being a responsible journalist and holding the government and elected representatives accountable,” he wrote.
Another Canadian journalist, Rachel Gilmore, also spoke out about Yazdani’s dismissal, calling out news outlets for being “allergic to the very qualities that make someone an excellent journalist.”
“This is f**ked up…You’re supposed to hold *power* to account, not hold your staff accountable for doing so. Looking forward to hearing Tina’s side and following what she does next,” she wrote on X.
Gilmore made headlines last year herself, after she publicly called out CTV for cancelling her fact-checking TV segment after she faced backlash for her coverage online.
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At the time, Gilmore called on news organizations to offer more support to their reporters instead of staying silent or dismissing them for facing hate.
On Tuesday, Toronto employment lawyer Kathryn Marshall also shared a news report about Yazdani’s dismissal saying “stay tuned.” It is currently unknown whether she is working with Yazdani.
