On November 30, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on a dispute between Vice Media Canada Inc. and the Crown.
The court weighed a journalist’s interest in protecting his communications with a source and the RCMP’s interest in investigating crime.
The court unanimously upheld an earlier decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal.
Reporter Ben Makuch must surrender his communications with Farah Mohamed Shirdon, an accused terrorist, to the RCMP.
Read the full judgment here:
https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/17398/index.do
REPORTAGE
Catherine Tunney of CBC News reports:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/supreme-court-vice-ben-makush-decision-1.4926102
CBC Radio reports:
Jim Bronskill of the Canadian Press reports:
In The Globe and Mail, Simon Houpt reports:
In the National Observer, Carl Meyer reports:
Andrew Russell of Global News reports:
https://globalnews.ca/news/4716145/supreme-court-vice-media-decision/
In the Toronto Star, Alyshah Hasham reports:
In Canadian Lawyer, Elizabeth Raymer reports:
The Independent reports:
https://www.independent.co.ug/canada-top-court-rules-against-journalist-protecting-source/
Rachel Browne of Vice News reports:
In Britain, the BBC reports:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46325573
Al Jazeera News reports:
COMMENTARY
Vice editorializes:
https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/d3bxy7/this-is-a-dark-day-for-press-freedom
In The Globe and Mail, Alexandra Ellerbeck comments:
In The Signal, Stacey Seward writes:
https://signalhfx.ca/canada-finally-has-a-source-protection-law-is-it-enough/
Cara Faith Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association comments:
The Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression comment:
The Committee to Protect Journalists comments:
https://cpj.org/2018/11/canadas-supreme-court-rules-against-vice-media-rep.php