Bill Gillespie (born March 10, 1946), is a Canadian journalist and author. He was security correspondent for CBC News and a former bureau chief of CBC Radio's Moscow bureau. As a foreign correspondent, Gillespie reported extensively from Afghanistan, Iraq, Chechnya and the Russian Caucuses, relaying information on the fall of the Taliban, the dismantling of Saddam Hussein's statue in Baghdad's central square, and the deadly siege of Beslan School Number One. Early life Born in Melfort, Saskatchewan, Gillespie attained a master's degree in labour history from Memorial University of Newfoundland. While at Memorial, he was the editor of the student newspaper The Muse. Career CBC Gillespie spent the first 12 years of his CBC career in St. John's, Newfoundland, reporting for both radio and television. In 1989, he joined CBC's Parliamentary Bureau as a reporter, producer and occasional host of the national CBC Radio News weekly political affairs show, The House. Gillespie then spent the next five years in Toronto as a national radio reporter for CBC Radio, where he covered the rise of the Harris government, environmental issues and the Krever Inquiry into tainted blood. During this period, Gillespie won several awards for his coverage of the environment and homelessness. Between 2005 and his retirement from the CBC in 2011, Gillespie was the CBC's Security Correspondent. He reported extensively on Canada's intelligence agencies, the Air India Inquiry, the Toronto 18 and Canadian Omar Khadr, and Guantanamo Bay. During this time, Gillespie also contributed various stories to the NPR radio syndicator and the C-SPAN television network. In 2011, he was accused of defaming Canadian Jewish group the Jewish Defence League of Canada (JDL) after describing them as terrorists on-air. Later, he and CBC editor Esther Enkin apologised and clarified that Gillespie was quoting the Canadian government. Recently, Gillespie spoke on behalf of the Canadian Media Guild in Ottawa, in an effort to highlight the importance of journalistic freedom from government interference, opposing plans to allow government involvement in negotiating contracts between the CBC and its employees. Foreign correspondent Gillespie's career as a foreign correspondent was launched with a posting to Moscow in 2001. Since September 11, 2001, he reported extensively from Afghanistan. He was in Afghanistan when the first American bombs began to fall, and he followed the Northern Alliance army as it removed the Taliban from power. Gillespie also conducted the first interviews with Canadian soldiers returning from combat.