Readers trust news less when AI is involved

Research from the University of Kansas found that when readers think AI is involved in news production, they have lower trust in the credibility of the news, even if they don’t fully understand what it contributed.

Pushing back against ‘AI-generated slop’

Toronto lifestyle magazine, The Grind, caught seven freelance articles for a special edition that they believed were AI-generated stories about fake people and places.

RCMP tried to get photojournalist Amber Bracken charged and detained without bail

The RCMP sought to keep photojournalist Amber Bracken in custody for months after alleging she assaulted a sheriff upon release from jail following her 2021 arrest at the Wet’suwet’en pipeline standoff. Court documents reveal police quickly failed in their attempt to have her charged and detained without bail, despite knowing she was reporting as a […]

Trump’s first 100 days give rise to fears over press freedom and democracy: Committee to Protect Journalists

In the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term, there have been a startling number of actions that, taken together, threaten the availability of independent, fact-based news for vast swaths of America’s population, CPJ said in a report. “From denying access to upending respect for the independence of a free press to vilifying […]

Economic fragility represents a leading threat to press freedom: Reporters without Borders

In its 2025 index on press freedom, the global NGO said its economic index for media freedom “now stands at an unprecedented, critical low.” Canada ranks 14th on the index, and the non-profit group said the country “has room for progress, particularly around press coverage involving Indigenous people and land disputes.”

UNESCO condemns Israeli Defence Force killing of Palestinian journalists in Gaza

UNESCO’s Director General Audrey Azoulay condemned the killing of journalists Hilmi al-Faqaawi and Ahmed Mansour in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The pair were killed and several others injured in an air strike which hit a media tent on April 7. UNESCO has reported the deaths of at least 49 journalists and media workers in […]

‘How gratifying’: Cheers in China as Trump dismantles Voice of America

Chinese nationalists and state media celebrated Trump’s order to dismantle Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA), which had long criticized China’s human rights record. While US-funded media scaled back, China expanded its global propaganda through state-run outlets like Voice of China. Journalist casualties in the Israel-Gaza war The Israel-Gaza war has taken […]

In case you missed it: Stories we’re following

A 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 […]

ICYMI: A roundup of press freedom news

Strengthening 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 […]

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

China attacks free media in Hong Kong as two journalists are sentenced in sedition trial Two journalists from the closed Hong Kong media outlet Stand News have been found guilty of conspiring to publish seditious materials – the first such convictions since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese control – after a trial that was closely […]