Archive
8 Feb

Criminal libel probe of N.B. blogger questioned

<p> </p>

READ MORE
31 Jan

Bureaucratic roadblocks frustrate access to court files

<p><em>There is a serious and troubling disconnect between the public’s right of access to the courts and the reality on the ground for journalists who try to cover them. <strong>Dean Jobb</strong> explains this troubling disconnect with examples of recent decisions that reflect his experience as a court reporter.</em></p><p><strong>Nova Scotia erects new barriers as Ontario, B.C. promise better access</strong></p><p><strong>Commentary </strong><strong>by Dean Jobb</strong></p>

READ MORE
25 Jan

Ban on Williams’ divorce file overturned

<p>The Ontario Court of Appeal has struck down a sweeping ban on publishing details of the divorce proceedings of convicted murderer Col. Russell Williams, confirming that “emotional distress and embarrassment” are insufficient grounds for supressing information about court cases. The Jan. 24 ruling upholds the open-courts principle and found that Williams’ estranged wife failed to present evidence to justify sealing the divorce file. “Purely personal interests cannot justify non-publication or sealing orders,” Justice David Doherty said in the ruling.

READ MORE
23 Jan

Media outlets post Vancouver riot photos online before handing over to police

<p>Six media outlets in British Columbia will hand over thousands of photos and videos of last June’s Vancouver riot to police under a court order – but not before some put them online for readers to see.</p>

READ MORE
14 Jan

Same-sex marriage vs. Stephen Harper: False outrage and how the media got it wrong

<p><em>On Thursday, </em>The Globe and Mail<em> ran a <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/despite-legal-about-face-harper-has-no-intention-of-reopening-same-sex-marriage/article2299574/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">front-page story</a> that stated there had been a "reversal" of policy on the part of the government when it came to the legality of same-sex marriages in Canada. Outrage ensued. Commenters, social media and response columns all blasted Stephen Harper and his Conservative government for a move they considered to be steps backward for our society. </em></p>

READ MORE
4 Jan

With media standards at issue, make way for “expert” witnesses

<p><em>Will a new libel defence bring business to self-styled experts in media practice? As <strong>Rhiannon Russell </strong>reports, that’s been the case in Quebec, and the rest of Canada may follow suit.</em></p><p> </p><p>John Miller knows journalism. He’s worked as a reporter for decades, held various management positions at the <em>Toronto Star</em>, and was, until retirement, a professor and two-time chair of Ryerson University’s School of Journalism. Now, he testifies as an expert witness in libel cases concerning journalism’s standards of practice.</p>

READ MORE
14 Dec

Firebrand: A profile of Heather Robertson

<p><em>At 19, Heather Robertson wrote an editorial that enflamed the college jocks, sparking a career dedicated to fearless reporting. <strong>Regan Reid</strong> takes a revealing look at Canada’s feistiest journalist. This story <a href="http://www.rrj.ca/m18388/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">originally appeared</a> in the Winter 2012 issue of the Ryerson Review of Journalism. </em></p><p> </p>

READ MORE
30 Oct

Piercing youth court ‘shroud’ of secrecy

<p>A <em>Toronto</em> Star investigation into the city’s busy youth court met with resistance from judges and prosecutors, arbitrary publication bans and attempts to block access to the basic records the media needs to cover the justice system. In the words of reporter David Bruser, the paper had to fight to lift the “institutional shroud covering the often-disturbing details of youth crimes from public view.”Read the Star’s Oct.

READ MORE
26 Oct

Press freedom in Canada

<p><em>Yes, there are threats: government secrecy, terrorism, regulation of new media. <strong>Nakita Singh Hans</strong> gives us a sneak peak at next year's Press Freedom in Canada conference.</em></p><p>Government secrecy, terrorism laws and the regulation of new media are among the threats to press freedom that will be explored at a Ryerson University conference early next year.</p>

READ MORE
19 Oct

Top court protects online links from libel claims

<p>Internet users who post hyperlinks to libellous material posted on other websites cannot be sued for repeating the libel, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled. The Oct. 19 ruling in <em>Crookes v. Newton</em> protects one of the most basic functions of the Internet -- the ability of users to share links to material posted online, even material they have not fully reviewed and they may not agree with.

READ MORE