CJFE intervenes in Toronto Star case to promote transparency in administrative tribunals
CJFE is intervening in a court case that could end secrecy in Ontario’s tribunals. On February 6, 2017, the Toronto Star filed a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms seeking to combat the lack of transparency that presently surrounds provincial administrative and quasi-judicial tribunals.
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Publication bans are hurting the national conversation
When news broke that Don MacIntyre appeared in court on sexual interference charges against a minor, media in Alberta were quick to jump on the story. The story was reported prominently by provincial and national outlets alike. It took its place amid dozens of similar allegations that were brought forward against high-profile political figures as part of the burgeoning national discourse around the #MeToo movement. MacIntyre, a member of the United Conservative Party (UCP) and member of the Alberta Provincial Legislature resigned his position in cabinet the day after he appeared in court and resigned his seat a few days later. Yet almost immediately, a justice of the peace issued a publication ban on reporting around the case, forcing media outlets to remove online versions of the story.
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The Rise of Canada's Cyber Spies
CJFE and RSF are deeply concerned by measures in Bill C-59, the federal government’s overhaul of Canada’s National Security framework, that threaten the integrity of journalism and the free expression rights of Canadians. The government of Canada must create a National Security framework that upholds human rights and is free from the potential for abuse.
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When Women Journalists Turn Off Their Microphones
In February 2011, the world was shocked by the news that CBS war correspondent Lara Logan was viciously attacked in Cairo’s Tahrir Square while covering the Egyptian revolution. But, as Logan discussed later in an interview with “60 Minutes,” her horrifying experience may not be so uncommon: What she called a “code of silence” exists surrounding sexual assault on female journalists, something she said “all of us have experienced and never talk about. But those who experience such attacks rarely report them, citing professional and cultural stigma as discouraging factors.
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Go Google Yourself
When you Google yourself, what do you see? Is there anything in your search results you would like to remove? A past indiscretion? A profile on a corporate website which no longer aligns with your values? A dated quote from your high-school yearbook or an embarrassing video from a party in university? Search engines like Google aggregate and rank content through algorithms that use things like search history, known interests or location to give searchers what they want. Some of what you see about yourself might be embarrassing and you don’t have a lot of control over what shows up. Daniel Therrien is the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and he wants to give you the power to remove search results about yourself by filing a takedown request to search providers. Sounds great? Well, not so much actually.
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Nikki Moir in Profile
Moir, born Myra Nicholson, died in December 2014, at 96 years old. One of the early female pioneers of journalism in Canada, she was born in Alloa, Scotland, in 1919, the youngest, and only girl, with five brothers. At ten years old, Moir moved to Canada with her family and found her passion in a Vancouver newsroom...
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'Censored' is an 8 letter word
CJFE is concerned by the decision which the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) made in late 2017 to shutter an art installation at the new Pioneer Village station. Purchasing the installation cost the TTC $500,000. The project is entitled ‘Lightspell’ and was originally commissioned in 2009 and was developed as part of the Spadina subway extension by artists Tim and Jan Edler, who are based in Germany. The official reason for the TTC decision was cited as the potential for ‘hate speech’ resulting from the installation’s design. CJFE was recently informed by Jan Edler that the TTC omitted Lightspell from its January 18, 2018 Board meeting agenda.
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Authorities in Iran block mobile networks as mass protests continue for ninth consecutive day
Mass protests in Iran continue for the ninth consecutive day, despite communication blackouts across the country. The government blocked internet access on mobile networks, social media services like Facebook and Instagram, as well as messaging services like Telegram to prevent protestors from organizing.
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