Company files statement of defence against Tina Yazdani of CityNews
Rogers Communications is defending itself against a $650,000 wrongful dismissal lawsuit brought by former CityNews political reporter Tina Yazdani.
The publisher filed a statement of defence this week that accuses her of manipulating footage and repeatedly violating the network's journalistic standards, according to the Toronto Star.
In its court filing, Rogers alleged that Yazdani altered video and social media content in ways that "misrepresented the facts" and "portrayed speakers in a negative light" — and that she continued doing so even after receiving formal warnings from management. The company identified four incidents between December 2025 and April 2026 as forming a pattern of misconduct serious enough to justify termination with cause, the Star reported.
‘Repeated breaches’ alleged
Previously, company spokesperson Charmaine Khan was direct in her assessment of the lawsuit.
"CityNews is committed to responsible practices and editorial standards in our reporting that reflect truth, accuracy and objectivity," she said in a statement cited by Toronto Life.
"Repeated breaches of our news and social media policies did not meet the journalistic standards we expect in serving our audiences. This includes reporting that changed the tone and context of a politician's remarks. These breaches were identified internally and independently by the senior news editorial team."
Khan added that the lawsuit "is without merit, and we will vigorously defend these baseless allegations in court."
$650,000 statement of claim
Yazdani, who spent nearly eight years as a Queen's Park correspondent for CityNews before her April 2 termination, tells a different story. Her $650,000 statement of claim, filed May 28 in Ontario Superior Court, argues that her reporting style was never flagged as problematic during the vast majority of her tenure — and that every story at issue was reviewed and signed off by producers before it aired, reports Toronto Life.
Marshall Law, the firm representing Yazdani, is backing her account: “She is known for her hard hitting reporting and is super fearless. Journalists do very important work in our society and hold institutions and politicians to account and we are proud to fight for their rights," the firm said in a statement on its website.
Yazdani’s claim states that she reported in “the same assertive, accountability-focused manner that CityNews had long encouraged in all their journalists, and at no point was she advised that pursuing politicians for answers was contrary to any Rogers policy," according to Toronto Life.
"At all material times, Ms. Yazdani followed the established editorial process, with her scripts, footage, and story framing being reviewed and approved by producers with full access to the raw materials. Rogers cannot now categorize as misconduct work that its own editorial team vetted and authorized for broadcast."
Concerns about conduct
The friction began in late 2025, when Yazdani was dispatched to a Buffalo press conference featuring Premier Doug Ford, with instructions to question him about the province's Skills Development Fund — a $2.5-billion program then under investigation by Ontario's integrity commissioner. Her story, which captured Ford walking away without responding to her questions, was subsequently pulled from the CityNews website, according to Toronto Life.
Yazdani's claim alleges the removal happened without her knowledge and with no public explanation, in violation of Rogers' own policies.
Two more incidents followed in early 2026 — one involving a social media post and another a story featuring Education Minister Paul Calandra — each resulting in written warnings, says Toronto Life. After the Calandra story was also removed from the site, Yazdani was let go.
"The story itself did not take the minister's words out of context, nor did it change the underlying meaning of his words. As always, the story and video clips were reviewed and approved by producers prior to submission and before airing," her claim states.
Yazdani's claim characterizes Rogers' conduct as "harsh, callous, reprehensible and malicious" and seeks $250,000 in moral damages and $250,000 in punitive damages on top of lost wages, according to Toronto Life.
Since her dismissal, Yazdani has continued covering Queen's Park for the Trillium.
