Anti-vaccine protesters harass CityNews Edmonton media workers 

Protesters at a Feb. 21, 2021 rally against COVID-19 health measures in Edmonton surrounded and verbally harassed CityNews journalist Bailey Nitti and CityNews camera operator Rod Maldaner. 

In a video tweeted by Nitti, protesters can be seen surrounding the journalists and filming them, shouting “Fake news” and calling the journalists “liars” and “prostitutes.”

One protester is shown approaching Maldaner and standing close to his face, saying “You caused this problem because you’re misreporting the truth. That’s what’s going on, and you know it.” 

“You’re going to be held accountable for your lies,” said another. 

The journalists were accompanied by a security guard, CityNews Edmonton told the Canada Press Freedom Project. 

“Things got tense but at the end of the day the story needs to be told. Local media allows that to happen,” Maldaner said in a tweet on Feb. 21, 2021.