American media companies face accusations of self-censorship and legal cowardice as they confront a new term for President-elect Donald Trump, who has targeted the press as an enemy. Washington Post editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes resigned in early January after the paper’s editors spiked her cartoon showing media owners and tech billionaires genuflecting to Trump. The […]
Read MoreCourts and governments across Canada tightened the noose around transparency last year, making it harder for journalists and other civil society actors to hold governments to account. Last February, the Supreme Court of Canada upheld a decision by the Ontario government to withhold ministerial mandate letters as cabinet secrets. CBC had been denied the letters in […]
Read MoreA majority of Canadians want to preserve but fix the CBC: poll A significant majority (78 per cent) of Canadians would like to see the CBC/Radio-Canada continue if it addresses its major criticisms, according to a poll from McGill University’s Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy. When asked what they would do with the CBC/Radio-Canada’s […]
Read MoreMark Zuckerberg’s decision to replace professional fact-checkers on Meta platforms with a crowdsourced alternative called “Community Notes” is a clear signal the era of Big Tech accountability is over. The founder, chairman and CEO of Meta also announced he will move trust and safety teams, which are responsible for enforcing policies around hate speech and […]
Read MoreJournalists who don’t toe the MAGA line have long been among Donald Trump’s favourite targets. His election victory on Nov. 5 heralds a new era of media bashing, with efforts to silence independent voices and attacks on journalists themselves. In the waning days of the campaign, Trump frequently targeted the “fake media” at his rallies. […]
Read MoreEach year at our annual luncheon, World Press Freedom Canada director Guy Badeaux (pen name: Bado) announces the winner of our international editorial cartoonist contest, which celebrates the journalists who illustrate the state of the world through pictures, metaphors and snappy lines. Editorial cartoons are the soul of a newspaper, anchoring the editorial pages with […]
Read MoreThere appears to be no end to the rocky road of broadcast news in Canada. Shrinking newsrooms have been a feature of the media landscape in Canada for the past two decades but the decline has accelerated in recent years. The trend leaves Canadians increasingly ill-served by major corporations that own broadcasting networks but see […]
Read MoreStrengthening communities and combating disinformation: The vital role of local news and public broadcasting World Press Freedom Canada president Heather Bakken appeared before the Senate Transport and Communications committee on Nov. 19 to contribute to its study on Local services provided by CBC/Radio-Canada. “The information space has changed dramatically since the CBC was created in […]
Read MoreUNESCO’s report marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists is both a somber reminder and a rallying cry for the need to protect press freedom globally. These biennial reports highlight the challenges journalists face in regions plagued by conflict and authoritarianism, but the 2024 report carries a particularly stark warning: the […]
Read MoreNational Defence has long been a rogue institution in complying with the Access to Information Act. Its secretive practices are especially concerning after DND officials issued a controversial statement on the Gaza War and then flouted the law by refusing to deal with a journalist’s request for information on how they reached their conclusions. The […]
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