SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Supporters of Justin Brake protested criminal and civil charges filed against him last year after he covered a demonstration by an Indigenous group. (Photo: @VOCMNEWS/Twitter)
In 'Affront to Freedom of the Press,' Canadian Journalist Faces Criminal Charges for Covering Protest
"Regardless of whether or not I'm convicted in the end, the chill effect is huge."
Mar 23, 2018
Press freedom advocates are raising awareness about the plight of Justin Brake, a journalist who is facing unprecedented charges in Newfoundland, Canada, more than a year after he covered a protest at a construction site for a controversial dam.
Brake embedded with Indigenous demonstrators at the Muskrat Falls dam project in Labrador in October 2016. The protesters, who fear contaminants that could flow from the dam, violated an injunction by cutting through a lock on a gate and entering the project site. Brake followed them, livestreaming the action for several days.
For merely doing his job, the reporter is now fighting criminal and civil charges. Brake could face up to 10 years in prison in addition to fines and mounting legal fees.
"Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told." --Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
"This was me recognizing a major story and making a decision to cover it," Brake told the Globe and Mail. "I didn't think anybody would try to apply that injunction to me, recognizing that I was there as a reporter...I took comfort in knowing that we have press freedom enshrined in our constitution and this was a story."
Brake added that his case has implications for journalists throughout Canada.
"I fear that journalists watching my case unfold might be influenced, might be deterred from following such stories. Regardless of whether or not I'm convicted in the end, the chill effect is huge," he said.
Supporters so far have donated more than $6,000 to a legal defense fund for Brake.
"A case where a journalist is effectively charged with a criminal offense for what appears to be doing their job is something that should concern everybody," Paul Schabas, a media and constitutional lawyer, told the Globe and Mail.
At Ricochet, Ethan Cox called Brake's case "an affront to freedom of the press...an outrage and a misuse of the justice system."
"But it's also something else: desperately embarrassing for Canada, Newfoundland, and Labrador, and the reputation of our rule of law," he added. "The prosecution of an on-the-job journalist whose work has angered the government cannot be tolerated in a free and fair society."
Reporters Without Borders cited the charges against Brake when Canada dropped four places to number 22 in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression has called for the charges to be dropped.
"We firmly believe the charges against Brake could cause a chill in reporting on controversies over resource development projects and Indigenous-led protests," the group wrote this month. "Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Press freedom advocates are raising awareness about the plight of Justin Brake, a journalist who is facing unprecedented charges in Newfoundland, Canada, more than a year after he covered a protest at a construction site for a controversial dam.
Brake embedded with Indigenous demonstrators at the Muskrat Falls dam project in Labrador in October 2016. The protesters, who fear contaminants that could flow from the dam, violated an injunction by cutting through a lock on a gate and entering the project site. Brake followed them, livestreaming the action for several days.
For merely doing his job, the reporter is now fighting criminal and civil charges. Brake could face up to 10 years in prison in addition to fines and mounting legal fees.
"Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told." --Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
"This was me recognizing a major story and making a decision to cover it," Brake told the Globe and Mail. "I didn't think anybody would try to apply that injunction to me, recognizing that I was there as a reporter...I took comfort in knowing that we have press freedom enshrined in our constitution and this was a story."
Brake added that his case has implications for journalists throughout Canada.
"I fear that journalists watching my case unfold might be influenced, might be deterred from following such stories. Regardless of whether or not I'm convicted in the end, the chill effect is huge," he said.
Supporters so far have donated more than $6,000 to a legal defense fund for Brake.
"A case where a journalist is effectively charged with a criminal offense for what appears to be doing their job is something that should concern everybody," Paul Schabas, a media and constitutional lawyer, told the Globe and Mail.
At Ricochet, Ethan Cox called Brake's case "an affront to freedom of the press...an outrage and a misuse of the justice system."
"But it's also something else: desperately embarrassing for Canada, Newfoundland, and Labrador, and the reputation of our rule of law," he added. "The prosecution of an on-the-job journalist whose work has angered the government cannot be tolerated in a free and fair society."
Reporters Without Borders cited the charges against Brake when Canada dropped four places to number 22 in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression has called for the charges to be dropped.
"We firmly believe the charges against Brake could cause a chill in reporting on controversies over resource development projects and Indigenous-led protests," the group wrote this month. "Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told."
Press freedom advocates are raising awareness about the plight of Justin Brake, a journalist who is facing unprecedented charges in Newfoundland, Canada, more than a year after he covered a protest at a construction site for a controversial dam.
Brake embedded with Indigenous demonstrators at the Muskrat Falls dam project in Labrador in October 2016. The protesters, who fear contaminants that could flow from the dam, violated an injunction by cutting through a lock on a gate and entering the project site. Brake followed them, livestreaming the action for several days.
For merely doing his job, the reporter is now fighting criminal and civil charges. Brake could face up to 10 years in prison in addition to fines and mounting legal fees.
"Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told." --Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
"This was me recognizing a major story and making a decision to cover it," Brake told the Globe and Mail. "I didn't think anybody would try to apply that injunction to me, recognizing that I was there as a reporter...I took comfort in knowing that we have press freedom enshrined in our constitution and this was a story."
Brake added that his case has implications for journalists throughout Canada.
"I fear that journalists watching my case unfold might be influenced, might be deterred from following such stories. Regardless of whether or not I'm convicted in the end, the chill effect is huge," he said.
Supporters so far have donated more than $6,000 to a legal defense fund for Brake.
"A case where a journalist is effectively charged with a criminal offense for what appears to be doing their job is something that should concern everybody," Paul Schabas, a media and constitutional lawyer, told the Globe and Mail.
At Ricochet, Ethan Cox called Brake's case "an affront to freedom of the press...an outrage and a misuse of the justice system."
"But it's also something else: desperately embarrassing for Canada, Newfoundland, and Labrador, and the reputation of our rule of law," he added. "The prosecution of an on-the-job journalist whose work has angered the government cannot be tolerated in a free and fair society."
Reporters Without Borders cited the charges against Brake when Canada dropped four places to number 22 in its 2017 World Press Freedom Index.
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression has called for the charges to be dropped.
"We firmly believe the charges against Brake could cause a chill in reporting on controversies over resource development projects and Indigenous-led protests," the group wrote this month. "Whenever journalists face legal penalties for their work, there is a chilling effect on whether these public interest events and issues are reported on. The end result is that, in many cases, these stories simply won't be told."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.