Know your rights while covering protests

Committee to Protect Journalists and Thomson Reuters Foundation guide to legal rights, risks and tips for reporting on public demonstrations Continue Reading Know your rights while covering protests

Canadian police advance on protestors in front of Parliament Hill. Text overstop image reads: REUTERS/Patrick Doyle Canadian police advance on protestors in front of Parliament Hill as they work to restore normality to the capital as trucks and demonstrators continue to occupy the downtown core to protest COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 19, 2022 The Committee to Protect Journalists’ Guide to Legal Rights in Canada

From land defence to COVID-19 health and safety protocols and more, media workers report on protests in Canada facing varying degrees of interference.

Whether from law enforcement, public officials or residents, journalists may (and often do) encounter obstructions or pushback on their activities.

This year, the Committee to Protect Journalists in collaboration with the Thomson Reuters Foundation published its guide to legal rights for journalists in Canada. Featuring takeaways and case studies, the document contains up-to-date information (as of the time of the guide’s publication) surrounding rights and risks while reporting on protests, from search and seizure to the right to record, to police interference, harassment and intimidation and injunctions.

For legal explanations about media workers’ rights while reporting on protests, visit the guide online in English and French.