World Press Freedom Canada

World Press Freedom Canada (sometimes known as the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom) is a Canadian not for profit organisation that campaigns for media freedom and journalist safety.

World Press Freedom Canada
PredecessorOttawa’s National Press Club
Formation2008
TypeNonprofit
HeadquartersOttawa
President
Shawn McCarthy

It issues the annual press freedom award.

Organization

World Press Freedom Canada was founded by Spencer Moore[1] and incorporated as a not for profit in 2008,[2] The organization advocates for press freedom and the safety of journalists.[2] The organisation was previously, and sometimes still is, known as the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom[3] and is a successor to Ottawa’s National Press Club.[3] The Ottawa Press Club faced financial challenges in 2003,[4] filing for bankruptcy protection in July 2003.[5]

In 2021, World Press Freedom Canada's president was Shawn McCarthy.[6]

History

In 2014, the organization organized an event to fundraise for Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian-Canadian journalist who was being detained in Egypt[2] and who later won the 2015 Press Freedom prize.[7]

In 2021, the organization was critical of Royal Canadian Mounted Police's activities during the 2020 Canadian pipeline and railway protests.[8]

Awards

World Press Freedom Canada organises and issues the Press Freedom award and the Spencer Moore awards, which were started by the predecessor organisations.[9]

The organization also holds an annual contest among editorial cartoonists, in which cartoonists such as Plantu (2010), Bruce MacKinnon (2014),[10] Signe Wilkinson (2015),[11] and Ali Miraee (2023)[12] have won first prize.[13]

Annual award

Press Freedom annual award winners
Year Winner Employer (if relevant) Source
1999 Kim Bolan Vancouver Sun [14]
2000 Robert Tripp Kingston Whig-Standard [9]
2001 Corinna Shuller National Post [9]
2002 Haroon Siddiqui Toronto Star [9]
2003 International Freedom of Information Exchange [9]
2004 Andrew McIntosh National Post [9]
2005 Juliet O’Neill Ottawa Citizen [9]
2006 John Hoey and Anne Marie Todkill Canadian Medical Association Journal [9]
2007 Tarek Fatah [9]
2008 Gilles Toupin and Joël-Denis Bellavance La Presse [9]
2009 Daniel Leblanc Globe and Mail [9]
2010 Michelle Lang (posthumously) Calgary Herald [15]
2011 Citizen Lab [16]
2012 Canadian Science Writers’ Association [9]
2013 Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor Postmedia [9]
2014 Katherine Gannon Associated Press [9]
2015 Mohamed Fahmy [9]
2016 Ben Makuch VICE News [9]
2017 Patrick Lagacé

Paul Dornstauder and Geoff Leo

Paula Simons (Honourable mention)

La Presse

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

Edmonton Journal

[9]
2018 Justin Brake

Mike de Souza (Honourable mention)

Charles Rusnell, Jennie Russell and Gary Cunliffe (honourable mentions)

The Independent of Newfoundland and Labrador

The National Observer

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

[17]
2019 Michael Robinson

Marie-Maude Denis (honorable mention)

The Telegraph Journal in Saint John, N.B

Radio-Canada

[9]
2020 Kenneth Jackson

Michael de Adder (honorable mention)

Joan Baxter (honorable mention)

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network [9]
2021 Nathan VanderKlippe

Sarah Cox

Kevin Donovan (certificate of merit)

Meghan Potkins & Madeline Smith (certificates of merit)

Globe and Mail

The Narwhal

Toronto Star

The Calgary Herald

[9]
2022 Fatima Syed and Tai Huyn The Local [18]

Spencer Moore Award for Lifetime Achievement

Year Name Employer/Role Reference
2014 Arnold Amber Canadian Journalists for Free Expression [19]
2015 Bob Carty Canadian Broadcasting Corporation [19]
2016 Suzanne Legault Information Commissioner of Canada [19]
2017 Jim Bronskill The Canadian Press [19]
2018 Charles Morrow The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom [20]
2019 Ken Rubin n/a (freelance) [19]
2020 David Pugliese The Ottawa Citizen [19]
2021 Kim Bolan Vancouver Sun [21]
2023 Rachel Pulfer Journalists for Human Rights [22]

See also

References

  1. House of Commons Debates, Official Report. (2008). Canada: E. Cloutier, Queen's Printer and Controller of Stationery. p5390
  2. Hurley, Meghan (22 November 2014). "Press group plans fundraiser for imprisoned journalist Fahmy". The Ottawa Citizen. p. A.6. ProQuest 1626922602.
  3. "About – World Press Freedom Canada". Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  4. Todd, Robert (2003-09-26). "Press Club faces tough times". Centretown News. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  5. Scott, Foster (2003-09-15). "National Press Club fights off creditors: club's executive tries to woo more members to historic federal political watering hole in Ottawa". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  6. International, Radio Canada (2021-05-03). "World press freedom highlighted with Canadian awards". RCI | English. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  7. Oakland, Ross (2 May 2014). "Jailed journalist wins press freedom prize: Fahmy receiving award in absentia on same day trial in Cairo resumes". Toronto Star. p. A.8. ProQuest 1520407079.
  8. Stueck, Wendy; Jang, Brent (2021-11-22). "Court releases two journalists three days after arrests by RCMP at Wet'suwet'en pipeline protests". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  9. "Awards – World Press Freedom Canada". Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  10. "Cartoons – World Press Freedom Canada".
  11. "Signe Wilkinson honored with World Press Freedom and Thomas Nast Award – the Daily Cartoonist". May 2015.
  12. https://ca.news.yahoo.com/la-presses-larouche-journalism-human-132300259.html
  13. "World Press Freedom Day: Editorial cartoonists take on 'cancel culture'". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  14. Richardson, Chris; Fullerton, Romayne Smith (2016). "The People's Servant: Vancouver Sun Crime Reporter Kim Bolan's Breakthrough Blogging". In Richardson, Chris; Fullerton, Romayne Smith (eds.). Covering Canadian Crime. pp. 245–250. doi:10.3138/9781442631021-017. ISBN 978-1-4426-3102-1.
  15. "Killed journalist receives award". Star - Phoenix. Saskatoon. 3 May 2010. p. A.5. ProQuest 250762105.
  16. "Citizen Lab Receives Canadian Press Freedom Award" in "News and Notes". Journal of Democracy. 22 (3): 183–185. 2011. doi:10.1353/jod.2011.0051. Project MUSE 444768.
  17. "Journalist charged in criminal, civil courts wins press freedom prize". ottawacitizen. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  18. Philipupillai, Kevin (2022-05-03). "Online startup wins press freedom award for coverage of COVID's impact on 'neglected' Peel Region". The Hill Times. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  19. "Awards – World Press Freedom Canada". Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  20. "Journalist Justin Brake, charged over Muskrat Falls reporting, wins Press Freedom Award". The Globe and Mail. 2018-05-03. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  21. Desjardins, Lynn (3 May 2021). "World press freedom highlighted with Canadian awards".
  22. Pulfer, Rachel (3 May 2023). "La Presse's Larouche and Journalism for Human Rights' Pulfer win 2023 Press Freedom Awards".
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