Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, members of the committee.

I am pleased to be here to contribute to your study on misinformation and disinformation, which are important issues facing Canadians. As Canada's most watched news source, CTV News is keenly attuned to the challenges of a changing information ecosystem. In a rapidly evolving world, it is more important than ever that Canadians have access to fair and balanced news coverage that they can trust. As a reputable news organization in a democracy, it is the fundamental purpose of CTV News to enable Canadians to know what is happening and to clarify events so that they may form their own conclusions. This is done through accurate, fair and relevant stories told in a clear and compelling way.

I want to recognize the tireless work of CTV News journalists and staff, who go above and beyond every day to uphold our mandate with the highest standards of honesty, transparency and independence. It is not always easy work, but it is important work and it deserves to be recognized.

For over 60 years, CTV News has kept Canadians informed of the stories that matter to them. In recent years, this has included a once-in-a-generation pandemic, elections at home and abroad, natural disasters, geopolitical crises, economic issues and much more. Thanks to the hard work of its journalists and staff, CTV News has consistently been named Canada's most trusted news source. This is something we are very proud of because trust is something we take very seriously.

Our mandate is to uphold journalistic integrity and independence under all circumstances and at all times without exception. We are a member of the Trust Project, a global network of news organizations, and we draw on tools that they've developed to help Canadians make informed news choices.

As a news team, we have a responsibility to hold people and organizations with power and influence accountable to the public, and that responsibility extends to how we manage our own affairs. In this industry, mistakes sometimes happen, despite our best efforts. I am of the belief that how we respond to those mistakes is critical to maintaining public trust. This brings me to an issue that has garnered attention recently.

A report on the CTV National News broadcast on September 22 did not meet our expected and required high editorial standards. As is standard practice in these circumstances, we conducted an investigation to determine whether a breach of our editorial standards and practices had occurred. The investigation found that two members of the CTV News team were responsible for altering a video clip. Their actions violated our editorial standards and are unacceptable. As a result, those individuals are no longer members of the CTV News team nor are they employed by any Bell Media entity. This is a deeply regrettable situation.

In my 33-year career working in television news, this is the first time I have come across something like this. I hope that our response speaks to the importance we place on upholding our commitment to fairness, objectivity and the truth. Our duty is to provide accurate, fair and balanced coverage of the issues that matter to Canadians and to do so fully independently. It's of the utmost importance to us.

Moving forward, we will continue to work to earn the trust of the millions of Canadians who rely on us each and every day. Given the growing demand for round-the-clock news coverage, CTV News will continue to transform the way we deliver news to Canadians, both on television and online.

As someone with decades of experience in the news business, I have seen first-hand the decline in the trust in the media, in no small part due to the rise of misinformation and disinformation and their impact on media literacy. This concerns all of us. I hope we can spend our time together today discussing this challenge and potential solutions to combat misinformation and disinformation so that we can maintain and build trust in our institutions for the years to come.