Meta’s shift to ‘Community Notes’ is a direct threat to press freedom and democracy

Mark 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 […]

Rising journalist killings and unchecked impunity threaten global press freedom

UNESCO’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 […]

The tenets of disinformation

The U.S. Department of Justice in September unsealed an indictment that identified two Canadians as being at the centre of an alleged Russian-led disinformation campaign, known as Doppelganger, that is targeting the U.S. Presidential elections in November. Tenet Media – owned by Canadian influencer Lauren Chen and her husband Ian Donovan – is accused in […]

Press Freedom ensures citizens can participate in the democratic process. But are they informed?

As press freedom goes, so goes democracy. Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedom of the press. That’s because Press Freedom ensures citizens can be informed, empowered, and able to participate in the democratic process. But are they informed? In 2024, more than half of the world’s population will have gone to the polls […]

Can Journalism Save Democracy?

Award-winning American journalist and pro-democracy media critic, Margaret Sullivan, will be this year’s keynote speaker for World Press Freedom Canada’s annual awards luncheon on May 2nd at the National Arts Centre. Sullivan is a renowned columnist for The Guardian’s U.S. edition and the author of Newsroom Confidential and Ghosting the News. She is also the […]

Free press, foul play and election fears

This year marks the first time in history that more than half of the world’s population will participate in elections. How voters are informed may impact the outcomes in 40 countries. In an information ecosystem increasingly polluted by misinformation and disinformation campaigns, could 2024 could be a bellwether for the resilience of democracy? According to […]

Why journalists are unsung heroes who need us to sing their praises

It’s increasingly hard to navigate what “information” is true and what is not, or which images are real and which are deep fakes. The evolution of social media platforms is happening more quickly than our ability to deal with the content that is published on them. We must find a way to deliver trusted and […]