2024
2023
2022
10 Denials of access in 2024
2 Arrest/criminal charge in 2024
6 Physical attacks in 2024
582 Chilling statements by HonestReporting Canada in 2024
17 Denials of access in 2023
7 Chilling statements in 2023
3 Physical attacks in 2023
61 Online threats in 2023
12 Physical attacks in 2022
11 Denials of access in 2022
19 Intimidation/ harassment in 2022
6 Chilling statements in 2022

INCIDENTS

Other

Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre restricts press conference questions 

At a press conference in Toronto, federal Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre refused to take questions except from publications which had been pre-selected by his communications team. Poilievre took questions from True North, Rebel News, Y Media SouthAsianDaily, Oxygen Canada News and Radio-Canada.  “When asked why, his team just said ‘That’s what we’re doing today,’”…

Denial of access

Media access restricted at federal Conservative party rally

Media workers covering a federal Conservative party rally in Ottawa were restricted to an area at the back of the room, and not allowed to move around or interview people.  “Please note that media are to remain in the designated zone and will not be permitted to roam the room or foyer to conduct interviews,”…

Denial of access

Nova Scotia government restricts media access at provincial legislature 

The Nova Scotia government introduced a new policy to prevent ministers from answering questions from journalists in the provincial legislature building.  Previously, journalists could interview ministers in the lobby and other common areas of the building; under the new policy introduced by NS premier Tim Houston, interviews are allowed only in a designated media room…

Denial of access

Western Standard journalist denied access to Liberal leadership candidate campaign event

Western Standard journalist James Snell was denied access to a federal Liberal leadership campaign event held by candidate Mark Carney in Edmonton.  A video of the event shows Snell speaking with a campaign staffer at the door to the event and identifying himself as a journalist and a member of the Alberta Legislature press gallery. …

Chilling statement

Kwantlen University student union council bans election candidates speaking to media

Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s student union introduced a new policy barring student council candidates from speaking to the media during elections. The new electoral regulations state that student council candidates “will be disqualified if they publish news articles on their candidacy or platform, engage in interviews with news outlets once the period for nominations is opened,…

Physical attack

TVA journalists assaulted by protesters

TVA journalist Hadi Hassin, a TVA camera operator and two security guards were pushed repeatedly and sprayed with paint during a protest against NATO in downtown Montreal.  Videos of the incident show protesters gathered outside the Palais des congrès in Montreal. As masked protesters began smashing windows, people in the crowd began shoving the journalists. …

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The Canada Press Freedom Project was founded by J-Source in 2022 to provide data and educational resources surrounding freedom of the press. The project is dedicated to an ongoing, quantitative database of press freedom violations in Canada and tools and resources for media workers, organizations, researchers, educators, students and the public to understand and counter those threats.

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RESEARCH AND TOOLS

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Why we know so little about Canadian prisons

The restrictions placed on communication with the outside world mean that access-to-information is one of the only ways the few journalists covering prisons can unearth the realities of people incarcerated in provincial and federal institutions. Experts explain what that costs us and how to break through the bureaucracy