Dear CJFE members and supporters,

Preparations for this year’s Gala have been accelerating over the past month, and we are more excited than ever for the big evening! If you have not yet purchased your ticket, please visit this webpage and buy today. In other news, this month CJFE has been reporting on concerning trends in Canada and following a number of major free expression issues around the world.

2014 CJFE Gala: A Night to Honour Courageous Reporting

Tickets are now available for purchase!

• International Press Freedom Award: CJFE is pleased to honour Ukrainian reporter Oleksiy Matsuka.
• Check out the biographies for award winners Kathy Gannon and Oleksiy Matsuka.
• Read Kathy Gannon’s first interview since her injury in Afghanistan.
• This year’s Gala will feature an exclusive photo exhibit with framed photos available for purchase from the late Pulitzer Prize-winning AP photographer Anja Niedringhaus.

What we were working on in October:

In Canada

• Right to Know Day: Check out your right to know and read about Canada’s failing Access to Information Act.
• Can you take a picture in Canada?: Read about the growing trend toward outlawing the use of cameras in public spaces.
• Anti-SLAPP legislation in Ontario: CJFE and other organizations are pushing for the introduction of Anti-SLAPP legislation.
• Copyright laws: Read the major concerns CJFE has about amendments to Canada’s copyright laws, and take a look at the improvements to copyright laws being proposed by CJFE and OpenMedia.
• Fighting for privacy laws in Canada: A crowdsourcing initiative launched to get Canadians working on a new plan to address the government’s failures on privacy.
• An evening with Glenn Greenwald: We recap Glenn Greenwald’s talk with David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail, about Edward Snowden and the integrity of journalism.
• In the lead up to the International Day to End Impunity, CJFE is calling on Canada to be a global leader on impunity and the protection of journalists.
• Press freedom upheld during Ottawa shooting: Media access and the fair treatment of journalists resulted in important, informed coverage as the shooting unfolded in Ottawa.

International

#FreeAJStaff updates:

• Journalists and human rights defenders are being persecuted in Egypt.
• Support the crowdfunding campaign to pay Mohamed Fahmy’s legal fees.
• Fahmy has written a letter to mark his 300th day in prison.
• Sustainable Development Goals: The UN must include the right to information, free media, and freedom of association and assembly in its Sustainable Development Goals.
• Press freedom during the Ebola outbreak: CJFE looked at the strategies being used by governments in West Africa to censor journalists and medical professionals.
• Journalists as ISIS hostages: Read about the ongoing debate concerning the risks journalists face when reporting from Syria and Iraq.
• Anna Politkovskaya: The search for justice continues eight years after the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya.
• Bahrain: CJFE joins the call for the international community to publicly condemn attacks against free expression and human rights defenders like Nabeel Rajab in Bahrain.
• Azerbaijan: The Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (IRFS) is being deliberately harassed and silenced.
• Iran’s “Blogfather”: Four years ago, Iranian-Canadian journalist Hossein Derakhshan was sentenced to 19.5 years in prison on bogus charges.
• Hong Kong: Authorities used excessive force during this month’s pro-democracy protests.

What’s coming up next month:

The month of November marks IFEX's annual campaign to end impunity. Corruption, threats, attacks, and a failure to seek justice for those who are penalized for speaking out, perpetuate a culture of impunity. Please join us in this important campaign and stand up for free expression. Visit daytoendimpunity.org to learn more and find out how you can take action to end impunity.

• November 2: The day marks the UN's first annual International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
• November 6, 1:00-2:00pm: Join us online for The Chill in Canada's Climate Science: A CJFE Live Chat as we talk with Toronto Star journalist Raveena Aulakh and Dr. Thomas Duck about the difficulties of talking about climate science in Canada.
• November 15: Deadline for entries to The Dalton Camp Award 2015.
• November 23: The day marks the fifth anniversary since the Ampatuan Massacre in the Philippines, the most deadly attack on the media in recent history.
• November 27, 7:00pm: Join us in Ottawa for the launch of Threatening Democracy: SLAPPs and the Judicial Repression of Political Discourse, a new book by Normand Landry.
• We will be announcing our Vox Libera award winner, to be honoured at the 2014 Gala

Thank you for your continued support for CJFE and stay tuned for more updates and announcements!