Press freedom is eroding globally through incremental curbs on accountability. From Washington banning critical media to Ontario retroactively gutting freedom-of-information laws, governments are weaponizing rules to hide power, threatening democracy.
Freedom of the press is one of a number of the key pillars of democracy that are under threat due to recent developments both here at home in Ontario and across the globe.
Democracies rarely silence journalists in one dramatic stroke鈥攏othing that would alarm the electorate. When they do silence critics in the press, it is done in small steps: a revoked pass, an amended statute, a change to the rules that is announced as housekeeping. Taken one at a time, each step can be defended. Taken together, they amount to a retreat from accountability.
This past weekend brought the latest step in Washington. The White House barred journalists from MS NOW, CNN and Politico from its grounds and confiscated their press passes. This came following a ban by would be US dictator for life, Donald Trump. The Donald announced the bans over what he called their 鈥渇ake news.鈥 The Donald also warned that 鈥渙ther outlets鈥 would face similar action. That is not a one-time grievance. It tells every newsroom that its access depends on how the president feels about its coverage.
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