Global News defended its recent report alleging that former Liberal MP Han Dong had discussions with a Chinese diplomat on delaying the release of two Canadian citizens detained by Beijing. The news outlet has said its reporting relied on two to three sources familiar with the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s (CSIS) investigation into foreign interference that were “rigorously checked.”
In a statement of defence filed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on June 6, Global News defended its report published on March 22 by investigative journalist Sam Cooper. The report cited two anonymous national security sources, accusing Dong of advising the Chinese consul general in Toronto in February 2021 that Beijing should postpone freeing Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, who had been arbitrarily held by Beijing for more than two years at the time.
