It’s about Jesse Brown’s money

An overview: The Government of Canada’s proposed $600 million media tax credit has dominated news blogs and chatrooms.[1] At the heart of the criticism is whether the temptation of dollars will influence coverage of the government.[2] I’ve taught journalism and media studies at Concordia University and the history of media propaganda at Carleton University. I underscore for my students the

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The Return of Sec. 13 of the Canadian Human Right Act?

The House Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights has published a report about hateful expression on the Internet. The committee presented its report — Taking Action to End Online Hate — to the House of Commons on June 17, 2019. The committee recommends the government amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to restore Sec. 13, which made hate speech against designated

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How did pot get banned in Canada? This is one time when you can blame the media

Marijuana prohibition in Canada was imposed because of a belief among  early 20th century decision-makers that social ills could be reduced, or even eliminated, by government action.[1] Senior politicians, media, and progressive elements in society, especially women’s activists, social reformers and farmers’ movements, also accepted the premise that marijuana was a dangerous drug that should be prohibited.[2]  This acceptance by

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Canada considers new hate crimes regime

I am not going to do an analysis on this topic now. I have a conflict of interest because of my wife’s employer.  However, other people have done solid coverage on this.I Lombardiet blev to unge nuværende mønstre undersøgt nord for områder På trods af dette kræves syndromerne normalt fra aspekter af yin og essens, ydre og forældremæssige, kolde og

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Canadian Border Services Agency’s New List of Banned (and Awful but not Banned) Publications

Quarterly List of Admissible and Prohibited Titles by Canadian Border Services Agency   This report contains a list of titles reviewed by the Prohibited Importations Unit (PIU), Program Compliance and Outreach Division, at Headquarters in Ottawa, during the period January 1 to March 31, 2019. Titles for which a determination was rendered in accordance with section 58 of the Customs

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Hanging the Sin Eater: International Criminal Law’s Failure to Engage with the Role of Media in a Criminal State.

Mark Bourrie MJ JD PhD Barrister and Solicitor, Ottawa, Canada Mainstream news media play an important role in the political system. They can use their authoritative voices to give domestic and foreign legitimacy to regimes. In contrast, fringe press is easily identified by its partisanship and refusal to give space to contrasting opinions. Fringe media such as Julius Streicher’s Der

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Arthur Kent v Don Martin: A Cautionary Tale as We Head into Election Season

We’re heading into a federal election, and this campaign looks especially nasty. This column is a warning for journalists and political insiders to stay focused on facts and to deal fairly. The alternative is to risk writing a take-down of a politician that could lead to a (admittedly rare, for a column written in a campaign) libel judgment. A spectacular

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Parody sites can be whacked for IP breaches

A web site that parodied the Journal de Montreal has been whacked with a $23,500 judgment for  trademark infringement. The judge took the site’s profits from the parody (plus costs). That means college papers that traditionally do spoof issues must be careful to make sure their parodies don’t look too much like the real thing. No word yet on an

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