CAJ opposes government-imposed ban on Blacklock's Reporter

OTTAWA, Jan. 6, 2015 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists wants more clarity on Shared Services Canada's banning of public servants' online access to Blacklock's Reporter, a Parliamentary Press Gallery-accredited news organization that reports on federal activities.

Blacklock's revealed that Shared Services Canada, the federal department responsible for IT security, banned access to blacklocks.ca on its servers on Aug. 25, 2014. That order reportedly remained in force until Sept. 9, when the news organization filed an access-to-information request with the same department.

Documents released to Blacklock's reportedly included numerous redactions that shrouded the department's rationale for banning the website in mystery., Blacklock's publisher Holly Doan defended her publication's credentials.

"No rational agency would blacklist an accredited news site in the name of security or crime prevention," she said.

The ban could stem from ongoing legal action between Blacklock's and Finance Canada, a suit that stems from a claim by the news agency the department violated copyright by distributing subscription-based articles among an undisclosed number of employees. Finance Canada denies the claim the details have not been heard in court.

No matter the rationale, Blacklock's deserves to know why Shared Services Canada enacted the ban on access to blacklocks.ca, and Public Works and Government Services Minister Diane Finley should prevent similar incidents in future.

"Diane Finley should confirm that her department will not prevent public servants from reading the news," said CAJ President Hugo Rodrigues.

The CAJ believes public servants deserve access to news websites that better inform their work on behalf of Canadians.

"Shared Services Canada never should have stopped anyone on the public payroll from lawfully reading Blacklock's reporting," said Rodrigues. "The department only rescinded the order after subscribers spoke up and journalists started asking questions. Blacklock's deserves an explanation."

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing more than 600 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.

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SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Hugo Rodrigues, CAJ president, 613-330-8396, [email protected]