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Freedom of the press, a fundamental freedom under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is the right of media to gather, publish, and distribute information and ideas without government restriction, censorship, or prior restraint. The ability of journalists to report freely on matters of public interest is crucial to a genuinely democratic society.

News September 22, 2020

Ivor Shapiro joins CFE as a senior fellow

Respected journalist and educator, Ivor Shapiro has joined Ryerson’s Centre for Free Expression (CFE) as a senior fellow. Shapiro is a former contributing editor of Saturday Night magazine and managing editor of Chatelaine and is a full professor and former chair of the School of Journalism at Ryerson University.
Blog May 6, 2020

Making it illegal will not stop the spread of misinformation

As we have seen in recent elections and in the present pandemic, misinformation can do real harm.  But the Canadian government’s plan to consider legislation to criminalize the spreading of misinformation is the wrong response. Criminalization will not stop misinformation. In fact, it often draws more attention to it, as well as undermines civil liberties and human rights essential in a democratic society. 
News April 16, 2020

The Trudeau government and Correctional Services Canada need to withdraw rules that stifle reporting on federal prisons, CFE and other press freedom organizations demand

The Centre for Free Expression joined four other press freedom organizations in calling on the federal government to permit  the media to provide the public with an accurate and timely depiction of the state of current COVID-19 health risks in federal prisons and among federal inmates in provincial institutions.
News July 11, 2019

NEW CFE PUBLICATION – “Populism and Free Speech” BY JON THOMPSON

Toronto: July 11,2019 - The Centre for Free Expression is pleased to announce the newest addition to its Occasional Paper Series, “Populism and Free Speech” by Jon Thompson. The paper explores the contradictory history of populism -- at times a force for social justice and at other times  to undermine democratic rights of marginalized groups. Thompson  argues that progressive populist action is required to successfully deal with the existential challenges of nuclear war, climate change and chemical pollution.