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 1936. But it has evolved at warp speed since smart phones became ubiquitous. Without any guardrails, our adversaries are leveraging our openness and accessibility to define the narratives they want us to believe. In the absence of any substantive policy, they have found a way into the consciousness of Canadians,” she said. “For national unity to prevail we need a public broadcaster that serves as a bulwark against disinformation; one that will strengthen the democratic values and freedoms we have fought for, shed blood for and should continue to go to bat for.”
Read her opening testimony here or view the full hearing here.
Ukrainian journalist Romandash speaks to WPFC, CIGI members
On Nov. 14, WPFC hosted a Pendulum salon with Ukrainian author and journalist Anna Romandash, who is her country’s Media Freedom ambassador. Romandash was in Canada to appear before the Commons committee on disinformation. She spoke about Ukraine’s cybersecurity challenges, including hacking, data breaches, and Russia’s exploitation of citizen information as well as how Ukraine’s resilience provides valuable lessons for safeguarding national security.
How disinformation defined the 2024 election narrative: Brookings
We can’t ignore the ways in which disinformation shaped views about the U.S. presidential election candidates, affected how voters saw leader performance, and generated widespread media attention, says a new report.
Saudi Arabian cartoonist sentenced to 23 years in prison over charges of insulting the kingdom.
A Saudi cartoonist who once drew for a Qatari newspaper as a yearslong diplomatic crisis engulfed Doha has been sentenced to 23 years in prison, an activist group says.
Three killed, three hurt in Israeli strike on journalists’ compound in Lebanon
An attack killed two journalists and a media worker and injured at least three others, leading to calls for an independent investigation to determine whether the journalists’ compound was deliberately targeted.
Canadian-born journalist at centre of U.S. press freedom legal battle after refusing to identify source
Toronto-born journalist Catherine Herridge has dedicated 37 years to working with major U.S. media outlets, including ABC, CBS, and Fox. Now, she finds herself at the centre of a high-profile legal battle that raises critical questions about press freedom and whether journalists can be forced to reveal confidential sources.
