The countries of the world over the last many years have been suppressing the freedom of media and many nations have made it their agenda to control media and promote their propaganda.
The resolution on the policy for media houses to share information from confidential sources was passed during the Liberal Party Meeting.
The resolution is called the “Combatting Disinformation Act”. The resolution is passed only days after the new Online News Act.
Previously, the Online News Act has otherwise created a buzz with meta and many online companies threatening to withdraw from Canada and stop sharing news.
Nonetheless, the major news channels and the opposition are visibly angry with the resolution.
Racheal Thomas, the Member of Parliament, showed her upset and called upon the Liberals to bring up the Act. She wrote,
” The Liberals passed a policy resolution to force journalists to reveal confidential sources to get published online. This is a direct attack on journalistic freedom. “
Twitterati Reactions
Well, Twitterati has been showcasing mixed reactions to the recent announcements. Few Twitter users opposed the resolution, stating the efficacy of the Act to prevent the spread of false news.
A user, Pastor Mudcat Grunt, tweets, “Do you fear not being able to manufacture “leaks from anonymous sources”? Many anonymous people claim you make things up.”
Another user emphasized that the new Act will help develop accountability among journalists. A supporter of the Liberal party, David Webb, tweeted,
“We want it to know who the leakers are. We want accountability to us, not to some code that allows so-called journalists to say things that can’t be substantiated in reality.”
Racheal Thomas’s reply section has also been tweeted in support of her. A user with the name WEF has no God tweets,
“Rachael at some point we need to understand that it doesn’t matter anymore, the political system has been corrupted, we have a dictator, and no illusion of democracy can change that. It is only going to get much much much worse. Just look at what’s happened in the history books.”
Combatting Disinformation Resolution
The Combatting Disinformation Resolution was one of the 23 resolutions passed by the liberals at the Liberals National Convention.
The Party passed the resolution, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally conveyed the same during a press meeting.
The “combating disinformation” is an act by the Liberal Party of Canada to fight against the spread of false and fake news.
Additionally, the resolution provides the government with tools to stop spreading false news. It shifts the accountability to the media house.
Media companies are required to reveal the source of information, even confidential sources. If the resolution is passed into an act, the media houses will stop publishing news from anonymous sources from publishing.
The resolution has strong support from the party lines and numerous MPs are in support of the same. A resolution, however, is not a law and, therefore, need not be implemented by the government.
An ‘anonymous’ source from Canada reports that despite pressure from the party, PM Trudeau has finally indicated that no such law will be progressed.
However, the MP of the Liberal party is disappointed with their PM stepping back.
Last Updated on by Janhavi Ramesh Kowligi
