Canadian Association of Journalists Code of Silence Award
Deadline for nominations - May 15
OTTAWA (April 22, 2009) – Has a government department dodged your calls, denied your access to information requests and given you the epic run-around? Nominate it for a prestigious national award!
The Canadian Association of Journalists is now accepting nominations for its ninth annual Code of Silence Award, which recognizes the most secretive government department or agency in Canada.
"From the tiniest town council right up to the Prime Minister's office, governments consistently show contempt for the public’s right to know," said CAJ President Mary Agnes Welch. "They use every loophole and delay tactic to conceal information that ought to be public. Some do this so well they deserve a big, fancy award."
Last year, the hands-down winner of the Code of Silence Award was Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his office. The PMO was cited for muzzling civil servants and cabinet ministers, blackballing reporters who pose tough questions and building a huge apparatus designed to staunch the flow of information.
Previous winners include former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein's Conservative government for hoarding public documents on the misuse of a government plane until after the 2004 provincial election and Health Canada for denying any meaningful access to a database of prescription drugs that could harm or even kill Canadians.
The Code of Silence Award is handed out annually at the Can’s gala award ceremonies which take place during the association's annual conferences. This year, the conference is being held May 22-24 in Vancouver.
Nominees for the 2009 award can include municipal, provincial and federal government departments as well as public agencies that work in the public interest with public money.
Nominations can be submitted by e-mail: canadianjour@magma.ca
Nominations close May 15, 2009
The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 1,300 members across Canada. The Can’s primary role is to provide public-interest advocacy and quality professional development for its members.
For more information, visit www.caj.ca
Mary Agnes Welch, CAJ President, Work: (204) 697-7590 or
Cell: (204) 470-8862;
John Dickins, CAJ Executive Director, Cell: (613) 868-5442
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Shouldn't CTVGlobeMedia be co-recipients of this award, as it pertains to Harper's trust fraud?
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3 comments:
While the entire Canadian press may not be a government agency it is an
extension of it.
I nominate the entire Canadian Press because they go through the motions of reporting on public affairs but their reporting is so shallow that if it were a lake every man woman and child in Canada could walk across it.
I also nominate them for the award of Lap Dog to the PMO .
Rick Drysdale
Sidney BC
Great idea. Please seriously consider it.
As much as I would like to nominate CTV GlobeMedia, ToStar - unfortunately for CAITI to benefit from this amazing opportunity of spreading the message about Trust Units, it looks like we need to nominate the Finance Minister's office for that 18 page blacked out document combined with a statement based on your postings, knowledge, etc. Whatever CAITI comes up with as a statement should put a spin on things, so it is clear all your economic predictions have come true. We should also nominate Mark Carney. Same idea ... write up the reasons for nominating him. Note: They are looking for stuff that happened during 2008/9.
Maybe a few slightly different statements should be written illustrating various points and made available on the CAITI website ... this way CAITI members, supporters, Income Trust Investors , etc. could take the applicable statement and send our own email to nominate these clowns.
Of course Dr. Mike and Kepholous (sorry for the spelling) can write their own statements for their nominations. Those dudes are very creative with their writing. I am sure the CAJ pres would love to receive some nominations from Income Trust investors. Maybe JF and Carney have never been nominated and would like the chance to be recognized publicly for their secrecy?
OMG , Jim is the man for sure , my nominee hands down , a man about town who has the ability to speak in tongues while barely moving his lips.
Who else do we know that can say one thing , mean something else & still do another.
He is so secretive that even he does not get it.
This from the guy who even had himself fooled---surpluses as far as the eye can see--what recession--it`s mild , it`s serious--who am I.
Seriously , Jim has worked hard to master his ability to keep us in the dark & deserves this award hands down.
We have to remember that he grew up watching Maxwell Smart & that he has the original operators manual for the Cone of Silence.
Dr Mike
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