Canada: CFWIJ expresses concern about the threats to media organizations

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March 26, 2021, Edmonton - A 32-year-old man was arrested by the police for threatening to attack the offices of the Edmonton organizations. Earlier, a journalist of the Edmonton Journal was harassed by a group of men while on duty. These repeated attacks against news media are indicative of a dangerous environment for journalists.

On March 24, the police were called into the office of Edmonton newspapers after an employee received an email threatening to attack the building. The email, sent on March 23, threatened to “shoot up the building” and detonating explosives inside, harming office staff and damaging the Edmonton property. After investigations, the police arrested Mark Halfe, who had sent similar emails to other offices in the Edmonton organization. He is being charged with 14 counts each for threatening and creating false alarms.
Earlier this month, Lauren Boothby, a reporter for the Edmonton Journal was harassed by a group of miscreants. Despite Lauren asking them to back off and let her do her job, the group persisted. The situation could have escalated into something much more dangerous since one of the men among the group, Kevin J. Johnston was already reportedly charged with engaging in hate crime. In a tweet, Lauren recalled the incident she faced, as well as the recent threats to her employer organization, and expressed worry about, what she called, “scary times”.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns these repeated threats and attempts to intimidate journalists in the strongest terms. Journalists exist in a very vulnerable space already, and when aggression against them increases, women journalists particularly are at greater risk of harm. We urge authorities to ensure a climate of security for their journalist community in the country.