Canadian news reports are riddled with accounts of Access to Information requests denied and government reports released with large swaths of content redacted.

The Unfulfilled Promise of Press Freedom in Canada offers a vast array of viewpoints that critically analyze the application and interpretation of press freedom under the Charter of Rights. This collection, assiduously put together by editors Lisa Taylor and Cara-Marie O’Hagan, showcases the insights of leading authorities in law, journalism, and academia as well as broadcasters and public servants. The contributors explore the ways in which press freedom has been constrained by outside forces, like governmental interference, threats of libel suits, and financial constraints. These intersectional and multifaceted lines of inquiry provide the reader with a 360-degree assessment of press freedom in Canada while discouraging complacency among Canadian citizens. After all, an informed citizenry is a free citizenry.

Lisa Taylor, a former lawyer, is a faculty member in the School of Journalism at Ryerson University. She spent more than a decade as a CBC Radio & Television journalist where her work was recognized by the Gemini Awards, the Atlantic Journalism Awards, and the B’nai Brith Media Human Rights Awards.

Lisa Taylor's profile page

Cara-Marie O’Hagan is the director of policy for the office of the Ontario Minister of Finance. She is formerly the director of the Ryerson Law Research Centre.

Cara-Marie O'Hagan's profile page

"Overall, this publication offers a range of valuable insights and useful reminders about the challenges that face both freedom of expression and freedom of the press…this is an important acquisition for any law library collection…"

Canadian Law Library Review vol. 43, no. 2 2018

‘This is a must-read book for those interested in the fields of journalism and law. The material is presented in an accessible and organized manner, giving the collection broad appeal beyond individuals in those fields.’

Saskatchewan Law Review vol 81: 2018

"The Unfulfilled Promise of Press Freedom in Canada is candid and thoughtful. It belongs in every journalism school library. It casts a wide net in asking why media fight [for a freer press], and more interestingly, why some don’t."

Blacklocks Reporter, April 1, 2017