Big Brother would be proud.

If you’re holding an event that’s described as being about ‘Defending Media Freedom,’ and if you’re virtue-signalling as a defender of ‘Media Freedom,’ what’s the one thing you probably shouldn’t do?

If you guessed “block media from asking questions,” you would be correct.

Yet, that’s exactly what Chrystia Freeland and the Foreign Affairs team did.

When reporters Andrew Lawton of the True North Centre, and Sheila Gunn Reid of The Rebel sought to ask Freeland a question, it appears that she tried to exclude them, only relenting when (to their credit) other reporters refused to hold a scrum unless Reid and Lawton were included:

“Reporters from CBC, CTV, Global, Globe and Mail and Al Jazeera refused to participate in a scrum with Chrystia Freeland if @SheilaGunnReid and I were not included. Our media colleagues stood firm, and Freeland’s office eventually let us all attend and ask a question each.”

Reporters from CBC, CTV, Global, Globe and Mail and Al Jazeera refused to participate in a scrum with Chrystia Freeland if @SheilaGunnReid and I were not included. Our media colleagues stood firm, and Freeland's office eventually let us all attend and ask a question each. — Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) July 11, 2019

“At the *Defend Media Freedom* conference @CanadaFP is telling Canadian journalists there is a limited number of spaces for us to interview Foreign Minister @”

https://twitter.com/RedShannon/status/1149281617313173509

“Update: @CanadaFP listed out 5-6 outlets and exlcuded at least two Canadian journalists. We refused to take part unless they allow all of us. They’re now looking for a bigger room. Oh the tension.”

Update: @CanadaFP listed out 5-6 outlets and exlcuded at least two Canadian journalists. We refused to take part unless they allow all of us. They’re now looking for a bigger room. Oh the tension. — Redmond Shannon (@RedShannon) July 11, 2019

It’s great the reporters did the right thing and ensured that Lawton and Reid got included. And yet, the fact that the media had to fight for access at an event called ‘Defend Media Freedom’ is absolutely absurd.

“Thank you Redmond. By holding the line, you and the other Canadian journalists made

@cafreeland let Sheila and Andrew in. Appalling that Freeland pulled this stunt at a conference allegedly about media freedom!”

https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1149364130354290691

https://twitter.com/ezralevant/status/1149363765617598464

This shows – as if we had any doubt – that when the elites talk about ‘media freedom,’ they’re only referring to the ‘freedom’ of the media to report the government narrative. The fact that Freeland and her office were willing to block two reporters from who might ask tough questions just goes to show the total doublespeak and hypocrisy of the entire ‘defend media freedom’ event.

Freeland and the government elites don’t support free speech, and they don’t support media freedom, and that was made perfectly clear by this disgraceful debacle.

It takes a certain level of brazen shamelessness to restrict media freedom at a media ‘freedom’ event, and Big Brother would be quite proud of Big Sister Chrystia Freeland.

Spencer Fernando

Photo – YouTube

***

If you want to support Spencer, you can contribute through PayPal at the link below:

TRENDING NOW



















0 0 vote Article Rating

Like this: Like Loading...