CAJ takes issue with city policy

An unwritten and arbitrary policy to shut out the Medicine Hat Owl from the City of Medicine Hat’s media releases and news conferences due to guidelines by the Canadian Association of Journalists is raising questions by that same organization.

“I certainly want to talk to someone over at the city to get a bit of clarity on why exactly they are thinking it’s ok to restrict journalists,” said Brent Jolly, national president of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ). “I know more and more municipalities, jurisdictions, cities, towns, provincial capitals and so on are increasingly putting added restrictions on local news outlets and journalists from documenting and witnessing council proceedings or what’s going on in the public sphere.”

The comments from Jolly come in the wake of a reaffirmation by city communications director Colleen Graham that the Owl doesn’t follow CAJ’s ethical guidelines. Because of the city’s interpretation of those guidelines, the municipality won’t grant interviews with the Owl.

CAJ National president Brent Jolly. (Photo courtesy of CAJ)

“This measure was taken after observing that the material published by (the Owl) often does not align with the Canadian Association of Journalists Ethics Guidelines,” wrote Graham in response for an interview request for a piece on National Indigenous Peoples Day.

“I’m still puzzled by their justification for doing this,” stated Jolly regarding the city’s policy. “And I’d really like to talk to them and see if there is a way I can make them understand more about what the role of the press is and what journalists do.”

He added it’s a trend that is being seen across the country.

“As more and more local news outlets decline or close, there is a greater shift in the balance of power towards CAOs or other bureaucrats working for municipalities or towns or cities to implement draconian rules that prevent journalists from actually going and doing their jobs,” Jolly said. “That’s not cool with me. I certainly don’t think it’s fair for someone to just universally declare that you are on a no-go list.”

The city has never identified an article or video produced by the Owl -  formerly known as Community TV – that. the municipality takes issue with while the one correction sought in the last two years was acted upon immediately.

“There needs to be reasons, there needs to be examples, they need to be able to explain this because that is not acting democratically,” said Jolly.

And he questioned the use of a tool developed for journalists being utilized by a government entity.

“I don’t think that’s what the CAJ Ethical Guidelines are there to do in the first place. They are meant to be what exactly what they say they are – they are guidelines for journalists to go about doing their jobs responsibly,” said Jolly. “They are not meant to be rules to erect barriers to public events or journalists from accessing spaces or documenting events or bearing witness to things taking place that are in the public interest.”

While utilizing CAJ guidelines like the city can be problematic and doing so without identifying the material of concern poses even more problems, he said.

“It’s a bit of a kangaroo court,” said Jolly. “In my opinion, with all respect to the CAO and everything like that, they are not journalists. They are free to interpret journalistic guidelines and best practises, but they are not the judge, jury and executioner of what stands as journalism.”

Jolly said he’ll be reaching out to the city for more information on its actions.

City Administration Hamstringing The Free Press With Arbitrary Policy