Is freedom of expression under siege in Canada?

OTTAWA, April 26, 2012 /CNW/ - That is the provocative topic of a panel discussion to be held in Ottawa on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day on May 3^rd.

Organized by the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom (CCWPF), the panel will address concerns about the state of free speech and democratic discourse in Canada at a time of centralized information control, the muzzling of government scientists, the trend of parliamentary committees meeting in secret, and the ongoing decay of the Access to Information system.

The panel features:

• Jeff Sallot, co-winner of a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Kent State massacre, and a 32-year veteran correspondent for the Globe and Mail. Jeff Sallot has been with the Carleton Journalism faculty since 2007.
• Dimitri Soudas, currently the executive director of the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), was named Prime Minister Harper's press secretary in 2006 and became director of communications in 2010.

Hosted by broadcaster Don Newman, the annual CCWPF luncheon celebrates World Press Freedom Day with two unique awards: 

The 14th Press Freedom Award, with a $2,000 prize, will be granted to a Canadian journalist or media organization that has made a significant contribution to the right of freedom of expression.

And winners will be announced for the 12th International Editorial Cartoon Competition on the theme "Power to the People: Citizens and Social Media."

Tickets for the event can be purchased at 613-233-1699 ext.6229 or at: http://www.ccwpf-cclpm.ca

World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 as an occasion to inform citizens that in dozens of countries publications are censored and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered. In 2011, 103 journalists were killed for their work and many more detained, threatened or beaten.

The Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, a non-profit organization, succeeded Ottawa's National Press Club in its role of monitoring press freedom issues nationally and globally.

Media Contact: Bob Carty [phone] [email protected]