CAJ shocked CTV journalist charged

OTTAWA, Aug. 12, 2015 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists is shocked the authorities in Ferguson, Mo., have presented a summons to CTV News' Los Angeles bureau chief Tom Walters.

Walters had been arrested and detained for hours after trying to ask a Missouri Highway Patrol officer a question during protests held on Aug. 19, 2014. Almost a year later, he's received a summons to appear in a St. Louis courtroom to answer to a charge of interfering with a police officer in the performance of his duty.

He was on assignment for CTV News at the time and covering the protests as a clearly identified and credentialed member of the media. Walters is the third journalist to recently receive a court summons after having been detained while covering the protests held in Ferguson last year.

"This charge and summons is an affront to the first-amendment and freedom of the press rights that are so dearly held by Americans and held up as a gold standard around the globe," CAJ president Nick Taylor-Vaisey said. "We echo and support the condemnation of the charges by CTV News president Wendy Freeman on Tuesday."

The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with over 600 members across Canada. The CAJ's primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

Nick Taylor-Vaisey, CAJ president, 647-968-2393, [email protected]; www.caj.ca | www.facebook.com/CdnAssocJournalists | www.twitter.com/CAJ