BPC Bulletin: Photojournalist and "The Narwhal" File Lawsuit Against RCMP
News Reports and Commentary Selected by Franklin Carter of the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee.
A freelance photojournalist and The Narwhal have filed a lawsuit against the RCMP over her arrest while reporting the protests on Wet’suwet’en territory in British Columbia in November 2021.
Amber Bracken, who was on assignment for The Narwhal at the time, was reporting the dispute between Coastal GasLink Pipeline and Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs and their supporters.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, seeks a declaration that press-freedom rights were unlawfully breached when the RCMP arrested Bracken during an operation to enforce an injunction granted to the pipeline company.
REPORTAGE
At Vancouver Is Awesome, Jeremy Hainsworth reports:
The Narwhal, photojournalist suing the RCMP - Vancouver Is Awesome
At Ricochet, Andrea Houston reports:
Journalists seeking ‘real consequences’ in lawsuit against the RCMP | Ricochet
At The Globe and Mail, Mike Hager reports:
Bridgette Watson of CBC News reports:
News outlet, journalist suing RCMP after 2021 arrest at B.C. pipeline protest camp | CBC News
Catherine Garrett of Global News reports:
News outlet, journalist file lawsuit against RCMP for wrongful B.C. arrests | Globalnews.ca
Sean Amato of CTV News reports:
Amber Bracken, The Narwhal suing RCMP over pipeline arrest | CTV News
COMMENTARY
At TV Ontario, Brent Jolly comments:
Canada must not criminalize basic acts of journalism | TVO Today
The Canadian Association of Journalists comments:
Breaching a journalist's Charter rights is a red line that should never be crossed (newswire.ca)
The Narwhal answers frequently asked questions:
The Narwhal and Amber Bracken’s case against the RCMP, explained
The Book and Periodical Council was formed in 1975 as the Book and Periodical Development Council to provide a venue for members to discuss industry issues, address mutual concerns and undertake projects for the benefit of Canadian writing and publishing.
