Jeff Semple
Senior Digital Broadcast Journalist
Jeff Semple is a senior correspondent with Global National News based in Toronto. Prior to moving home to Canada in 2019, Jeff spent six years as the Europe Bureau Chief for Global News based in London, U.K. He previously worked as a correspondent for CBC News in London, U.K., Toronto and Ottawa.
Jeff has reported from more than 40 countries across five continents. Most recently, he spent months reporting from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine; he reported from inside Taliban-controlled Afghanistan; and he set sail aboard a Royal Canadian Navy Icebreaker patrolling Canada’s Arctic waters. Jeff has filed from the frontlines of the fight against ISIS in Iraq, the United Nations’ deadliest mission in Mali, West Africa, and the Olympic Games in Russia, Brazil and South Korea. From the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeff reported from inside overwhelmed hospitals and ICU’s in both Canada and the United States.
Jeff was nominated twice for Best National Reporter by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television in 2021 and 2023, for his coverage of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine. His reports have also been recognized by the Radio Television Digital News Association, the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Online Publishing Awards and Apple Podcasts. His stories have appeared on the BBC, CNN, Sky News, NPR and ABC.
Jeff is a regular backfill anchor for Global National and is the host of the groundbreaking podcast series ‘Russia Rising‘ and ‘China Rising‘, which was the #1 podcast in Canada on iTunes in 2019 and named one of Apple’s ‘Top Podcasts of the Year.’ Jeff has also forged a reputation as one of Canada’s top multimedia video-journalists, shooting and editing his own reports.
Jeff is an avid drummer and is constantly resisting the urge to tap and drum on just about everything.
Video Archives
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Desperation fuels human smuggling at St. Lawrence River
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Global National: May 14
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Taiwan’s Kinmen Island caught in the middle of conflict with China
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Silicon shield: Could Taiwan’s semiconductor industry protect it against invasion by China?
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Taiwan fights back against election interference, disinformation with creativity
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Taiwan draws lessons from Ukraine’s defence against Russia for possible Chinese invasion
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Taiwan preparing for when — not if — China launches military attack: minister
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Canadian delegation meets Taiwan’s government in wake of Chinese military drills
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Delegation from Canada visits Taiwan as China wraps up war games
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Chinese Canadians targeted by Chinese Communist Party
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Canadians being ‘coerced’ by China into spying on community members
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A look at MP Han Dong’s political background and voting record
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Toronto-area man accused of helping Iran evade sanctions and acquire counter-drone technology
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Ontario legislature member is part of alleged Beijing 2019 election-interference network: sources
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Global National: March 4
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The Underground Battle: How some Kherson residents resisted Russian occupation
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‘We are tired from funerals’: Daily burials in Lviv after a year of war in Ukraine
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‘I’m planning Russian death’: B.C. woman scours web for weapons to help Ukraine
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Russian forces loot, damage Ukraine’s cultural institutions
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Ukraine’s hunt for Russian collaborators is deeply personal
Author Archives
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Taiwan’s front line: Kinmen Island, scarred by civil war with China, braces as tensions buildThe Chinese government has vowed to take Taiwan by force if necessary. The island of Kinmen still bears the scars of a bloody civil war that raged for 20 years.PoliticsApr 28
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Can Taiwan’s ‘Silicon Shield’ fend off China — and a global economic crisis?Taiwan's early gamble to invest in semiconductors has not only helped to power its economy, but it may also now protect it from invasion. Can it also protect the world's economy?WorldApr 27
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What Taiwan can teach Canada about fighting foreign interferenceAs Canadians grapple with recent allegations of foreign interference, the Taiwanese say they've been targeted for years. And over time, they've developed novel ways to fight back.WorldApr 25
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What lessons Taiwan is learning from the Russian invasion of UkraineBeijing's recent rhetoric and military posturing against Taiwan are prompting some to prepare. And the Taiwanese are taking lessons from Ukraine.CanadaApr 24
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Taiwan preparing for when — not if — China launches military attack: ministerIn an interview with Global News, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Taiwan is shoring up international support and focusing on military reforms to be "as ready as possible."PoliticsApr 22
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Amid Chinese aggression, ‘Taiwan’s fight is Canada’s fight,’ MPs vowPrevious visits by Canadian politicians to Taiwan have largely focused on issues such as trade. But the conversation on this trip carried a much starker tone.CanadaApr 12
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Canadians describe surveillance, intimidation and terror ‘under China’s shadow’Canadians who have fled China for a new life say they have been coerced into spying on high-profile activists by the Chinese Communist Party — with their family used as collateral.InvestigationsApr 5
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Why Chinese interference is an everyday problem for many Canadians: ‘They brainwash people’Canadians say they are routinely harassed and blackmailed to keep them from protesting against the Chinese Communist Party, but are too scared to report incidents to the RCMP.InvestigationsApr 4
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Accused of helping Iran buy anti-drone systems, Toronto-area man says he’s ‘not a criminal’Five months after Trudeau announced what he called the world's toughest sanctions against Iran's Revolutionary Guard, the government has little to show for it.CanadaMar 16
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Ukraine war: Life and death in the shadow of a nuclear plant Russia uses as an army baseThe city of Marhanets has been continually shelled by Russian forces based at Europe's largest nuclear power plant. The IAEA calls it 'potentially catastrophic.'WorldFeb 25
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‘The best of the best is dying’: Ukraine’s year of war, air sirens and lossAt a funeral for Roman Skalskyi, a young fallen soldier, mourners reflect on 12 months of damage, displacement and death.WorldFeb 23
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Ukraine war: The Canadian ‘suburban mom’ arming Ukraine against RussiaSince Russia launched its invasion one year ago this week, a global procurement network has come together to help Ukraine defend itself.CanadaFeb 22
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Art heist at the Louvre of Kherson: Russia’s war on Ukrainian identityFor many Ukrainians, widespread attacks on their cultural institutions are an attempt to erase their heritage and absorb them into an empire-minded Russia.WorldFeb 21
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Ukraine: The hunt for Russian collaborators and the case against an alleged disinformation journalistOlena Shelestenko and her husband Gennady were involved in a Kherson newspaper that was allegedly pro-Russia during the occupation of the city.WorldFeb 16
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Ukraine: Meet a mother who fought the Russian army with small acts of resistanceIn Russian-occupied Ukraine, partisans have been painting the Ukrainian flag in public areas, collecting information on troop movements and attacking soldiers and collaborators.WorldFeb 14
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Ukraine: After losing Kherson, Russia tries to destroy itTwo months after the liberation of Kherson, Global News found a city being cynically pummelled by Russian artillery that has targeted even a maternity hospital.CanadaFeb 1
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Exclusive: Alberta government seizes Calgary condos for Russian company sanctioned over Ukraine warThe case highlights confusion over how to enforce Canadian sanctions against Russia.CanadaDec 5, 2022
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Arctic power play: High north and high stakesAs climate change reshapes our planet, the geopolitical landscape is also changing. In Canada’s north - the melting ice has led to a power play for influence and resources.FeaturesNov 12, 2022
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Election deniers, officials gearing for fight over U.S. midtermsVarious "Stop the Steal" groups, which sprung up in the wake of the 2020 election, have encouraged supporters to organize armed stake-outs at dropbox voting locations.WorldNov 7, 2022
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‘Ukraine’s very survival is at stake’: How Ukrainian-Americans could influence the U.S. midtermsAs far as U.S. support for Ukraine goes, there's a lot riding on the results of the midterm elections -- perhaps even the war itself.FeaturesNov 2, 2022
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Will Charles III be an ‘Activist King’?King Charles III dedicated much of his time as a heir-apparent to activism, prompting speculation about whether his political activity will end following his accession.CanadaSep 18, 2022
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What does Queen Elizabeth’s death mean for cash across the Commonwealth?The queen's image is found on everything from money to stamps to souvenir coffee mugs. The accession of a new monarch now requires an unprecedented undertaking of royal rebranding.CanadaSep 14, 2022
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Exclusive: After daughter killed by Taliban, Canadian Forces employee escapes to AlbertaNazifa was shot dead while her family was waiting to be evacuated to Canada.CanadaAug 15, 2022
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Inflation crisis: Soaring food prices in Canada’s North prompting hunters to find new food sourcesOn a recent visit to an Iqaluit food market, Global News found items being sold for up to three times the national average. Locals are working to find new food sources to cope.CanadaAug 4, 2022
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‘This monster cannot be allowed to get away’: Residential school survivors demand justicePiita Irniq endured terrible abuse at a residential school. Six decades later, he wants to ask the Pope to send his alleged abuser to Canada from France to face justice.CanadaJul 29, 2022