June 18, 2026 – for immediate release
The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) has dismissed a complaint about accuracy, and the standards surrounding the attribution of quoted statements, in a July 17, 2025, news article published by the London Free Press.
The article focused on a Ukrainian dance team’s decision not to perform at a local multicultural festival. The Ukrainian ensemble said they withdrew because another group, called SlavicRoots, was included on the festival’s agenda and allegedly promoted “Russian culture.”
Darren James Keenan and Vera Kinan, who are involved with a Russian-Canadian cultural group named SlavicRoots, filed a complaint with the NNC, stating the article was both discriminatory and provided misleading coverage of the cultural group.
In particular, the complainants raised concerns that the article undermined their ability to share their cultural heritage and exposed them to discrimination by positioning their involvement with the festival as controversial. The complainants alleged that the article failed to include relevant context to convey to readers that they are Canadian citizens representing a local cultural institution, and did not represent the interests of a foreign country or government agenda.
The complainants stated the article created a “false impression” that their group acted in a “provocative or politically insensitive manner” which had made them the subject of online harassment and long-term reputational damage. They requested the article be removed and a public apology issued.
The news organization responded to the complainant’s concerns by stating the story was accurate and focused solely on the realities of a local dispute that saw one cultural group withdraw from an event because of the inclusion of another. The news organization emphasized that the news story did not attempt to decide who was right or wrong in their actions or to make wider statements about Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The news organization noted that not all details discussed in an interview are relevant to the story, and that the article accurately represented the group’s perspective, including publishing quoted statements from the complainant noting that the group was Canadian.
In its review, the NNC considered widely-accepted journalistic standards about accuracy, context, and attribution.
In reviewing the article in question, the NNC agreed with the news organization’s view that the article explained a matter of local interest. The article underscored how tensions around international conflicts can present themselves between different cultural communities and in potentially unconventional settings.
The NNC observed that the story included comments from both parties and also provided readers with additional background information that described efforts to mediate the dispute. In particular, the article included a quote by one of the complainants, stating, “Our dance group bears no responsibility as Canadian citizens for the actions of a foreign government […] And everybody in the group is opposed to the war and the divisions that it’s created within the two communities.”
The NNC understands that readers may wish to see additional context or specific details included in news stories on contentious subjects. That said, journalistic standards and practices allow journalists the ability to select the scope of the story and the facts relevant to the topic or issues at hand.
In this case, the NNC agreed with the news organization’s view that the article clearly communicated to readers the position of the group that they were Canadians celebrating their cultural heritage and who did not represent a foreign government or its actions.
Further, while interview subjects and readers may disagree with other quoted statements or opinions expressed in an article, that does not necessarily indicate a breach of journalistic standards. In this case, the statements and views expressed were attributed to the relevant individuals, as is standard journalistic practice.
The NNC understands that the complainants may have received negative feedback from some members of the community following the publication of the article. International conflicts create tensions and can be sources of controversy. How audiences react to news stories that reference these matters in local contexts, however, is not a matter of journalistic standards and extends beyond the NNC’s mandate.
For the reasons outlined above, the NNC did not find grounds to support a complaint about a breach of journalistic standards and dismissed the matter.