Former CityNews reporter sues Rogers for $650K

Tina Yazdani, a longtime Queen's Park reporter for CityNews, filed a statement of claim against Rogers Media and Rogers Communications on May 28, seeking over $150,000 in lost wages and $500,000 in punitive and moral damages.

Yazdani worked as the broadcaster's provincial politics correspondent since 2018, building a reputation for persistent questioning of the Ford government during media scrums. She was let go April 13 without warning.

In her only public statement about the firing, made April 29, Yazdani said: "The way that my employment ended was unfair. I stand by all of the journalism that I did, I stand by all of my work—I am proud of the work I did. I am a strong believer in holding power to account and asking the tough questions."

Speculation about her dismissal circulated online, with some observers questioning whether her strict reporting on the Ford government played a role. Two of her stories were pulled from the CityNews website before her firing.

Since the lawsuit was filed, Toronto residents have rallied behind her on social media, with supporters calling her "tough but fair" and describing her as one of the few reporters regularly pressing the government with detailed questions. One supporter called her "among the top political reporters in the country."

The case highlights ongoing tensions around editorial independence and journalistic freedom in Canadian newsrooms.