Oct. 25

Statement from Nicole Feriancek, Editor-in-Chief, Ottawa Citizen:

David Pugliese is a valued, trusted and esteemed member of the Ottawa Citizen and Postmedia team.

Yesterday, a witness before Parliamentary committee made ridiculous and baseless accusations against David, and suggested his work was compromised by a foreign entity.

We reject that accusation and stand firmly behind David.

At no point have we ever doubted David’s work or integrity, nor have we ever been approached by any intelligence entity concerning David or his work.

David has a long and respected career as a journalist. He has been recognized for his fearless reporting, including multiple National Newspaper Awards and a lifetime achievement award by the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom in 2020.

He will continue his vital reporting on military issues for the Ottawa Citizen.

-30-

Pugliese’s statement on Twitter:

On Oct. 24, 2024, former Conservative cabinet minister Chris Alexander falsely claimed before the Commons committee on Public Safety that lam a Russian agent and that my journalism is designed to aid the Russians.°”
His statements are entirely false and merely highlight another tactic in the ongoing attack on Canadian journalism.
I understand the articles I have written — exposing financial irregularities at National° Defence, bungled billion-dollar military.procurements, massive waste of tax dollars and incidents of sexual assault in the Canadian Forces — are upsetting to those in and outside government. l understand my articles on the Holocaust, Nazi collaborators in Canada and the role of Chrystia Freeland’s grandfather as a Nazi propagandist are also upsetting to those in and outside government. However, these articles are accurate. am proud of my 40 years of journalism. This is what journalism is supposed to be about; publishing things the powerful do not want to see in public. Rest assured, I have
no intention of changing the way I conduct my reporting. Individuals linked to Mr. Alexander’s false claims have also stated I play hockey on the Russian embassy hockey team in Ottawa. That is a total fabrication and shows the ridiculousness of this campaign to undercut my journalism. I have never.played hockey and can barely skate. This attack is not just about me. Another individual linked to this campaign has also falsely stated that fellow journalists Steve Chase and Bob Fife of the Globe and Mail, Mercedes Stephenson of Global News and Vassy Kapelos of CTV are “Russian paid agents in Canada.” These lies endanger press freedom in our country. It was disappointing to see NDP MP Peter Julian and Conservative MP James Bezan aid Mr. Alexander in his attacks on my character, reputation and journalism. Mr. Alexander’s fabricated claims are not-only ridiculous but dangerous to the safety.of my family, particularly.my children. His statements would also be libelous had he not uttered them behind the
security of Parliamentary committee privilege.

Canadian Association of Journalists statement on Twitter:

The CAJ wholeheartedly denounces the ridiculous accusations made against @davidpugliese today. It’s a sad irony these comments were made in a meeting examining disinformation campaigns. These claims are dangerous & designed to undermine the credibility of journalists. Period.