OTTAWA — Foreign actors are trying to interfere with the Canadian media, and journalists and their bosses need to be aware of it, the chairman of Parliament's nonpartisan national security committee warned on Wednesday. All forms of media, including mainstream media, are being subjected to interference by bad actors, Liberal MP David McGuinty said. He said he can't divulge specifics because the information is classified.
The media was singled out in a recent report by the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, which McGuinty chairs. The document highlights how China and India are interfering with Canadian media content through direct engagement with journalists and media executives. "Foreign interference is definitely in the media, and it is singled out in the review, not only in our most immediate review but in our past review," McGuinty told reporters Wednesday.
"You should read it and take it to your owners and editors." The latest report said there are examples of China paying to publish media articles without attribution, sponsoring media travel to China, pressuring journalists to withdraw articles and creating false accounts on social media to spread disinformation. Different Chinese-language media outlets in Canada were found to have adopted the language of a People's Republic of China state media article, without attributing it, the report alleges.
"Most of these media outlets were linked to the PRC via partnership agreements with the Chin.
