The Unfulfilled Promise of Press Freedom in Canada

Canadian news reports are riddled with accounts of Access to Information requests denied and government reports released with large swaths of content redacted. The Unfulfilled Promise of Press Freedom in Canada offers a vast array of viewpoints that critically analyze the application and interpretation of press freedom under the Charter of Rights. This collection, assiduously put together by editors Lisa Taylor and Cara-Marie O’Hagan, showcases the insights of leading authorities in law, journalism, and academia as well as broadcasters and public servants. The contributors explore the ways in which press freedom has been constrained by outside forces, like governmental interference, threats of libel suits, and financial constraints. These intersectional and multifaceted lines of inquiry provide the reader with a 360-degree assessment of press freedom in Canada while discouraging complacency among Canadian citizens. After all, an informed citizenry is a free citizenry. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction. Press Freedom in Canada Part One: Press Freedom and Internal Pressures 1. The Real Danger to Press Freedom 2. Exploring How Emerging Digital Business Models and Journalistic Innovation May Influence Freedom of the Press 3. Strategic Lawsuits against Public Participation and Freedom of the Press in Canada 4. Process Journalism and Responsible Communication: Establishing Real-Time Reporting Practices That Defend against Defamation 5. Freedom of Expression, Entertainment, Hate Speech, and Defamation: Where Do We Draw the Line? Part Two: Press Freedom and Court Processes 6. Free Expression at Thirty: The Search for Respect 7. Has Dagenais-Mentuck Seen Its High-Water Mark? 8. How the Criminal Code “Protects” Sexual Assault Complainants from Themselves and Constrains Their Participation in the News Media 9. Must News Reporters Be Guerilla Lawyers to Protect Their Rights? Covering the Canadian Justice System in Small Communities Part Three: Press Freedom and Institutional Secrecy 10. Freedom of Information: How Accountability to the Public Is Denied 11. Municipal Access to Information, Delays, and Denials: An Insider’s View 12. Unfettered Social Media versus Government Censorship: Mona Eltahawy’s Twitter Escape as a Test Case for Press Freedom 13. Media Whining or Democratic Crisis? How Institutional Secrecy Is Contextualized in National Newspapers Part Four: Press Freedom and the Charter 14. Section 2(b)’s Other Fundamental Freedom: The Press Guarantee, 1982–2012 15. The View from Down Under: Freedom of the Press in Canada Conclusion. Use It or Lose It: Do Canadians Deserve Press Freedom? Bibliography Contributors Index "The Unfulfilled Promise of Press Freedom in Canada offers a vast array of viewpoints that critically analyze the application and interpretation of press freedom under the Charter of Rights. This collection, assiduously put together by editors Lisa Taylor and Cara-Marie O'Hagan, showcases the insights of leading authorities in law, journalism, and academia as well as broadcasters and public servants. The contributors explore the ways in which press freedom has been constrained by outside forces, like governmental interference, threats of libel suits, and financial constraints. These intersectional and multifaceted lines of inquiry provide the reader with a 360-degree assessment of press freedom in Canada while discouraging complacency among Canadian citizens. After all, an informed citizenry is a free citizenry."-- Provided by publisher