January 5, 2026 – for immediate release

The National NewsMedia Council (NNC) has dismissed a complaint about the accuracy of an August 20, 2025, article published by the Montreal Gazette. 

Samara Perez filed a complaint with the NNC stating that an article that reported on the findings of an investigation into an ethics complaint against a Montreal school board chair being dismissed was “misleading and inaccurate” and was “derogatory,” and that it could cause potential harm to her personal and professional reputation. The complainant also expressed concern that they were not contacted for comment prior to the publication of the story, and requested that the sources be disclosed. 

In response to the complainant’s concerns, the news organization stated that the published news story was based on a document obtained through an access-to-information request. The news organization rejected the complainant’s assertions that it had inappropriately obtained the information contained in the report.

With regards to the complainant’s concern about not being offered an opportunity to provide comment, the NNC understands that the news organization offered the complainant an opportunity to provide a brief statement for publication after the original article was published. 

In their submission however, the complainant said they requested more time to write a longer statement that addressed the complex situation at hand. 

In its review of the complaint, the NNC considered widely-accepted journalistic standards about accuracy and sources used by journalists. 

With regards to the issue of accuracy, the news organization provided the NNC with relevant sections of the ethics ruling to support the passages quoted directly in the piece. The materials also detailed examples of the complainant’s behaviour as reported on in the article.   

In reviewing the matter in question, the NNC observed that the article states the information reported was obtained through an access-to-information request. While the complainant expressed concern about the public release of the findings, it is standard practice for journalists to obtain documents through access-to-information requests to acquire information from public agencies. While the NNC understands that the information in this case is based on a finding from the ethics commissioner obtained through an access-to-information request, it is worth noting that journalists are not obligated to share information that could identify a source.  

Although the news organization noted that an opportunity to respond to a ruling of this nature is not standard practice, the NNC supports the news organization’s offer to the complainant to provide comments for publication. The NNC understands that while the complainant wished to have more time and space to respond to the matter, news organizations have the editorial prerogative to decide the time and space devoted to a particular subject. It is likewise the prerogative of the complainant to accept or decline this offer.  

In this case, the nature of the story was narrowly focused on the ethics decision that had been obtained through an access-to-information request. For the reasons outlined above, the NNC found no grounds to support a complaint about a breach of journalistic standards.