The Canadian news industry faces threats from many different angles. One thing journalists and news workers should not have to deal with – suppression from police. But that’s what Montreal journalist Savanna Craig faced when she covered a pro-Palestinian protest in April.
Police arrested Savanna and recommended to the prosecution that she be charged with ‘mischief’. This was a clear abuse of police power, as Craig was merely reporting on the sit-in. She identified herself to police as a journalist many times, but they still proceeded to arrest and charge her.
That these charges were dropped, doesn’t signify a correction in behaviour, it merely indicates the charges were without merit. “This is only a partial win” Craig noted, “as my case highlights a growing trend of officers targeting and silencing journalists in Canada”. She is not the only female journalist to be wrongfully arrested this year. Brandi Morin, an Indigenous journalist who has become a leading voice in her community, was arrested and charged with ‘obstruction’. Those frivolous charges were dropped a couple months later.
This trend of attempting to silence Canadian journalists – especially female journalists – should alarm every citizen. The tactic is a danger to local news and it will is corrupting our democracy. It’s worth noting that over 100 journalists have been killed in Gaza – which is what Craig was reporting on when she was arrested. We are already facing an eroding news landscape in Canada as journalists are being laid off and newsrooms are closing. Foreign tech giants like Google and Meta are taking Canadian content, putting their ads over it and not compensating the publishers. This existential threat to local news is now also being compounded by a more immediate and violent threat from police.
We stand in solidarity with Savanna and every journalist who faces unjust persecution from police.– Journalism. Is. Not. A. Crime.
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