TORONTO, Dec. 22 /CNW/ - Journalists across Canada can do a better job of reporting truth and exposing injustice thanks to a ruling today by the Supreme Court of Canada.
"The ruling to uphold the so-called 'responsible journalism' defence is an important victory for freedom of the press," says RTNDA Canada President Cal Johnstone.
RTNDA Canada was part of a group of media outlets who intervened in the case in support of the new libel defence. Effectively, it allows for minor factual errors as long as journalists act responsibly in pursuing a story in the public interest. Prior to this ruling, the media has often been muzzled by the threat of libel action, says Johnstone. "The chill created by substantial libel awards based on little more than technicalities often undermined journalists' efforts to report stories in the public interest."
RTNDA Canada is the voice of electronic journalists and news managers in Canada. The members of RTNDA Canada recognize the responsibility of broadcast journalists to promote and to protect the freedom to report independently about matters of public interest and to present a wide range of expressions, opinions and ideas. The RTNDA Canada Code of Ethics adopted by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, is used to measure fairness and accuracy in our profession.