BPC Bulletin: Online Attacks on Canadian Female Minority Journalists
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
In Canada, female journalists, especially female journalists who belong to minorities, regularly find hateful abuse directed at them on social media and elsewhere.
The abuse has provoked concern and alarm in the Canadian news media and Parliament.
“This is an organized campaign to threaten and intimidate journalists into silence and undermine the freedom of the press in Canada,” said Brent Jolly, the president of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ).
On August 11, 2022, several news organizations — the CAJ, The Hill Times, the Toronto Star and Global News — signed a letter after three journalists — Saba Eitizaz, Rachel Gilmore and Erica Ifill — received rape and death threats. The organizations sent the letter to the Ottawa and Toronto chiefs of police to demand action.
Federal ministers of public safety, Canadian heritage, women and gender equality, the RCMP commissioner and Ontario’s attorney general received copies of the letter.
REPORTAGE
Judy Trinh of CTV News reports:
Christian Paas-Lang of CBC News reports:
In the National Observer, Natasha Bulowski reports:
In The Hill Times, Mike Lapointe reports. The story is behind a paywall:
COMMENTARY
In the St. Catharines Standard, Nicole Regehr comments:
In Canadian Lawyer, Michael Spratt comments:
At TV Ontario, Paulette Senior comments:
https://www.tvo.org/article/we-need-systemic-change-so-that-journalists-can-do-their-jobs-free-from-abuse
The Hill Times editorializes. The opinion is behind a paywall:
In the Toronto Star, Donovan Vincent comments:
In the Toronto Star, Amira Elghawaby comments:
BONUS U.S. COMMENT
In the Columbia Journalism Review, Anne Helen Petersen comments in the winter 2018 issue of the magazine:
https://www.cjr.org/special_report/reporting-female-harassment-journalism.php
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.
