3 May 2013 – Further Coverage of Canada’s RTI Score
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression released a review of transparency in Canada that relied on Centre for Law and Democracy’s RTI Rating. The review, and Canada’s poor score on the RTI Rating, were picked up by the press.
Click here to read the story in the Toronto Star
Click here to read the story in Journalism in the Americas
24 April 2013 – Denmark’s RTI Reforms Fall Short
Centre for Law and Democracy carried out an analysis which demonstrates that the new right to information (RTI) legislation being proposed by the Danish government, the Act on Openness in Administration, signally fails to address the very serious problems in the current regime. CLD’s work was originally covered in the Danish broadsheet: Politiken, but was also picked up elsewhere in the Danish media:
Click here to read the story in Politiken (in Danish) 1, 2
Click here to read the story in the Copenhagen Post
Click here to read the story in Ekstra Bladet (in Danish)
Click here to read the story in Nyu Interventional
20 April 2013 – Abuse of Contempt Powers in Newfoundland
On April 16, MHA Gerry Rogers was thrown out of Newfoundland’s House of Assembly after being found in contempt because a Facebook page that she was subscribed to contained very offensive statements against Premier Kathy Dunderdale. CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas authored an op-ed in the St. John’s Telegram claiming that this was an abuse of the Speaker’s power, a case of guilt by association, and a violation of freedom of expression. Karanicolas also spoke on CBC morning radio about the episode. Ultimately, the Speaker admitted his actions were wrong and apologised.
Click here to read the op-ed
Click here to hear the Radio interview
Click here for coverage of the dispute on VOCM
Click here for coverage of the apology, which also cites the oped
12 April 2013 – Five Year Review of Quebec’s ATI Law
Centre for Law and Democracy participated in the five year review of Quebec’s access to information law, presenting before a National Assembly committee on April 11. CLD asserted that the Quebec law has too many unduly broad exceptions that block access to government information, including a ban on the release of cabinet and Treasury Board documents, and rates poorly compared to international better practice. The Montreal Gazette featured an article on the subject based on an interview with CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas, as well as an editorial on the same theme.
Click here to read the Article
Click here to read the Editorial
9 April 2013 – ATI Requests Denied in Hospital Misdiagnosis
Articles in Metro News and the Toronto Star discuss privacy concerns and the need for openness and accountability surrounding the highly secretive review of the misdiagnosis of a “dead” baby at a Toronto-area hostpital, and quote Executive Director of CLD, Toby Mendel. Ontario’s Quality of Care Information Protection Act currently prevents the hospital from legally releasing its finding.
Click here to read the story in Metro News
Click here to read the story in the Toronto Star
Click here to read the op-ed in the Toronto Star
5 April 2013 – Renewed Interest in Canada’s RTI Rating
Reports about efforts by Canada’s federal government to muzzle federal scientists has led to renewed interest in the unsatisfactory state of transparency in Canada, with recent news stories citing Canada’s dismal showing in the RTI Rating.
Click here to read the story in the Christian Science Monitor
Click here to read the story on Arab Emirates Top News
1 March 2003 – New Pakistani Draft Law “Too Restrictive”
An International Herald Tribune article discusses a draft freedom of information law that allows government agencies to deny access to information without explanation. The article makes reference to CLD’s RTI Rating of Pakistan – 75th out of 93 countries around the world – and quotes CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel. Click here to read the Story
27 February 2013 – CLD Legal Officer Speaks at Conference in Astana, Kazakhstan
Legal Officer of CLD, Michael Karanicolas, presented the RTI rating of Kazakhstan’s Draft Law on Access to Information at the conference “Access to information: the implementation of constitutional law in the interests of civil society” in Astana, Kazakhstan on Wednesday, February 27. The event was covered by several newspapers, as well as television stations. Kazakhstan is ranked 43rd out of 93 countries around the world for access to information.
Click here to read the story in i-News
Click here to read the story in Azattyq
27 February 2013 – Information Commissioner to Report on Canada’s ATIA
A Global News article discussed Information Commissioner Suzanne Legault’s upcoming report on Canada’s Access to Information Act, and identified the Centre for Law and Democracy as one of several organizations calling for greater transparency. Click here to read the Story
26 February 2013 – Limited Access to Information in Newfoundland and Labrador
An op-ed in The Telegram examined Newfoundland and Labrador’s wide cloak of government secrecy, and made reference to CLD’s 2012 RTI ranking of Canada – 55th out of 93 countries around the world. Click here to read the Op-Ed
24 February 2013 – Canada’s Dismal RTI Ranking Disputed by Feds
An article in the Globe and Mail discussed a federal memo rebutting CLD’s RTI Rating and Canada’s dismal global ranking in freedom of information. The internal memo was requested from the Treasury Board by The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, and took five months to be released. The story quotes CLD Executive Director, Toby Mendel, and CLD Legal Officer, Michael Karanicolas. Click here to read the Story
Articles were also published in the Toronto Star and Buffalo Business First.
Click here for the story in the Toronto Star
Click here for the story in Buffalo Business First
22 February 2013 – Ontario Information Commissioner Seeking Greater Transparency
Executive Director of CLD, Toby Mendel, is quoted in a Toronto Star article on provincial government accountability. Click here to read the Story
8 January 2013 – Chile’s RTI Policies Showing Positive Results
An article in The Santiago Times on access to information in Chile featured CLD’s RTI Rating, and quotes Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. Click here to read the Story
11 December 2012 – CJFE Campaign Highlights CLD’s Work
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression has launched a campaign against the lack of transparency in Canada’s government. One of the main talking points of this campaign is CLD’s ranking of Canada as 55th in the world in the RTI Rating. In addition to CLD’s work being featured in the ad itself, several news outlets have picked up on the campaign.
Click here to read a story in the Toronto Star
Click here to read a story in the Moose Jaw Times Herald
Canada’s performance in the RTI Rating was also mentioned in a recent CBC story about a review of compliance in public authorities by the Information Commissioner: Click here to read the story
25 November 2012 – Letter to Philippine President Attracts Coverage
A letter to Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III signed by CLD, along with International Federation of Journalists, Southeast Asian Press Alliance and Committee to Protect Journalists, was covered by GMA network. The letter protested the lack of progress made in investigating the perpetrators of the Ampatuan Massacre, which killed 58 people, including 32 journalists.
Click here to read the Story
24 October 2012 – RTI Symposium in the Maldives
CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas was among the speakers at a symposium on the right to information in the Maldives. The event was covered by local media. Michael Karanicolas also appeared on Maldivian television to discuss the right to information.
Click here to read the Story
14 October 2012 – Op-Ed on RTI in Canada
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel authored an op-ed for the Huffington Post on the state of the right to information in Canada, making the point that Canadian jurisdictions are falling behind in the world in providing this right, and yet Canadians do not seem to be engaged on this issue.
Click here to read the Op-Ed
12 October 2012 – Media Coverage of UPR Submission
CLD, along with PEN Canada, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada and the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, prepared a Submission to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) process on Canada’s record on freedom of expression. The Submission was covered in the Ottawa Citizen and the Montreal Gazette.
Click here to read the Story in the Ottawa Citizen
Click here to read the Story in the Montreal Gazette
28 September 2012 – Full Canadian Rating Attracts Coverage
CLD’s Right to Know Day activities included the launch of a comparison of access to information laws across Canadian jurisdictions using the RTI Rating Tool, which was picked up by Canadian press.
Click here to read the Story in Macleans
Click here to read the Story in the Globe and Mail
Click here to read the story on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
In addition, the Edmonton Journal published a piece covering the rating that featured an interview with CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas:
Click here to read the Story
25 September 2012 – Alberta Newspaper Cites RTI Rating
This Right to Know Week, the Calgary Herald has been an active critic of the Albertan government’s poor record on transparency. To bolster their case, they cited Alberta’s poor score in the RTI Rating. The articles also quote CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas.
Click here to read the Stories: 1 2 3
13 September 2012 – Trinidadian Newspapers Quote Toby Mendel
Toby Mendel gave a talk in Trinidad and Tobago where he discussed freedom of expression. Local newspapers picked up on his comments criticising plans by Jack Warner, Trinidad’s National Security Minister, to acquire shares in two local newspapers.
Click here to read the Stories: 1 2
6 September 2012 – Ukrainian President Cites RTI Rating
In a speech to the 64th World Newspaper Forum and the 19th World Forum of Editors in Kiev, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych cited the RTI Rating’s score of Ukraine’s new law.
Click here to read about the speech
31 August 2012 – Michael Karanicolas interviewed on Transparency in Alberta
CLD’s Legal Officer was interviewed for a story on eroding transparency in Alberta.
Click here to read the Story
6 August 2012 – CLD Calls for Release of Mam Sonando
CLD drafted a letter, also signed by Lawyer’s Rights Watch Canada and the International Federation of Journalists – Asia Pacific, calling for Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen to release a journalist and prominent critic of the government. The letter has attracted media attention.
Click here for the story in Business Ghana
Click here to read the story in the Jakarta Globe
3 August 2012 – Toby Mendel in Bhutan
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel’s recent work in Bhutan was covered by media there.
Click here to read the Story
25 July 2012 – Article on RTI in Egypt
An article by the inter-press service on access to information in Egypt featured several quotes from Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD.
Click here to read the Article
21 July 2012 – Indian and Pakistani Articles Cite RTI Rating
In the past days South Asian news outlets have picked up on the Global RTI Rating’s placement of Pakistan as 72nd in the world and India’s second place showing:
Click here to read an op-ed in the International News
Click here to read the story in Pakistan Today
Click here to read the story in Moneylife
3 July 2012 – Pluralistic Broadcasting in India
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel published an op-ed in the June-September 2012 issue of CR News, a publication about community radio in India. The article discusses the importance of diversity of broadcasting outlets in a healthy democracy.
Click here to read the story
28 June 2012 – 30th Anniversary of Canada’s Access Law
In the run up to the 30th anniversary of the passage of Canada’s Access to Information Act, media outlets paid renewed attention to Canada’s poor showing in the Global RTI Rating:
Click here for the story in the Globe and Mail
Click here for the story in the Halifax Chronicle Herald
Click here for the story in the Montreal Gazette
Click here for the story in Metro News
Click here for the story in the Hamilton Spectator
Click here for the story in the Lethbridge Herald
Click here for the story in the Vancouver Sun
Click here to listen to an interview by Toby Mendel on the CBC’s Information Morning
25 June 2012 – Joint Declaration by the four special mandates on Freedom of Expression
The Joint Declaration, which was released at a conference Trinidad and Tobago, attracted significant media attention:
Click here for a story by International Press Institute announcing the conference
Click here for a story by International Press Institute reporting on the conference
Click here for a story in the Trinidad Guardian announcing the conference
Click here for a story in the Trinidad Guardian reporting on the conference
Click here for a story in The Financial
14 June 2012 – Newfoundland’s Bill 29
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel criticised Newfoundland’s proposed access to information amendments (Bill 29) in interviews with different press outlets:
Click here to read the story on CBC
Click here to watch the full interview with Toby Mendel on CBC
Click here to listen to another interview with CBC radio
Click here to read the story on J-Source
Newfoundland’s Justice Minister Felix Collins issued a press release in response to the criticism from CLD. He also took to the floor of the House of Assembly to deride countries listed as having better access laws than Newfoundland, and to attack CLD directly as an organisation. In response to the Justice Minister, CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas drafted an open letterwhich was covered by news outlets:
Click here to read a story in the CBC
Click here to read a story in the St. John’s Telegram
Click here to read the story in MetroNews (the Canadian Press)
CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas also appeared on CBC television and radio:
Click here to watch the interview on Here and Now (begins at the 10 min mark)
Click here to listen to the radio on On the Go
CLD also drafted an official response, which was picked up by news outlets as well:
Click here to read the story on CBC
Click here for further coverage in the St. John’s Telegram
Click here for the story on Yahoo News
Click here to watch further coverage on NTV news
UPDATE: 26 December 2012
Bill 29, including CLD’s involvement, was subsequently voted the second most important story of the year for Newfoundland:
Click here to read the story
16 May 2012 – CLD Comments on Yemen Rating Receives Coverage
CLD’s rating of Yemen’s newly passed Law on the Right of Access to Information was immediately picked up by the Yemen Post.
Click here to read the story
7 May 2012 – Video of Myanmar Workshop on Broadcast Media Regulation
Myanmar’s Ministry of Information and International Media Support has released a video of the workshop held on April 23 and 25 which featured CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel.
Click here to watch the video
7 May 2012 – CLD Legal Officer Interviewed on CBC Radio
CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas was interviewed twice on the radio network of Canada’s national broadcaster, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The interviews related to a recent study by CLD which found significant deficiencies in Canada’s access to information laws, particularly in the Canadian province of Alberta (where the interviews were aired).
Click here to listen to the Calgary interview
Click here to listen to the Edmonton interview
3 May 2012 – CLD Indonesia Publications cited by University College London
UC London’s Constitutional Unit recently published a report on access to information in Indonesia which cited two of CLD’s recent books on RTI in that country.
Click here to read the report
15 April 2012 – CLD Report on Iraq cited by Bloomberg
A story in Bloomberg cited CLD’s report entitled “Freedoms in Iraq: An Increasingly Repressive Legal Net”.
Click here to read the story
Click here for coverage of the same report in Al Akhbar
10 April 2012 – Canadian Newspapers Cover Provincial RTI Rating
Centre for Law and Democracy applied its RTI Rating to four Canadian provinces, and the results were covered in several Canadian publications:
Click here to read the story in the Calgary Herald
Click here to read the story in the Edmonton Journal
Click here to read the story in the Vancouver Sun
The Calgary Herald subsequently cited CLD’s analysis of Alberta’s poor transparency record in its partial endorsement on the Wildrose Party:
Click here to read the Endorsement
UPDATE: 1 May 2012
CLD’s analysis of transparency in Alberta was discussed in more detail in a story in the Edmonton Journal, including an interview with CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas:
Click here to read the story in the Edmonton Journal
UPDATE: 31 May 2012
The study received subsequent coverage in the National Post in a story about financial improprieties in Premier Redford’s constituency office.
Click here to read the story in the Post
25 March 2012 – Toby Mendel Interviewed by Brazilian Newspaper
As part of CLD’s ongoing work in Brazil, Toby Mendel recently visited the country to launch a study on broadcasting rules aimed at child protection. While there, he gave an interview to Estadao, a Sao Paolo newspaper.
Click here to read the story (in Portuguese) Part 1, Part 2
20 March 2012 – Toby Mendel Interviewed Zambian Newspaper
Toby Mendel gave an interview in the Zambia Daily Mail where he stressed the importance of the right to information in combatting corruption.
Click here to read the story
5 March 2012 – Video of Toby Mendel’s Testimony Before the Indonesian Constitutional Court
In July 2008 Toby CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel testified before the Indonesian Constitutional Court on international approaches to freedom of expression. The video has now been posted to YouTube.
Click here to watch the video
28 February 2012 – This Week in Palestine prints piece by Toby Mendel
Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD, has published a piece in This Week in Palestine on digital communication in the Middle East.
Click here to read the story
18 February 2012 – CLD Executive Director Published in the Egypt Independent
Since the “Arab Spring” revolution, CLD has been working on the ground in Egypt to develop transparency laws. As part of the work to raise awareness, Toby Mendel published this article in the Egypt Independent on why the right to information is important.
Click here to read the story (in English) (in Arabic)
UPDATE: 10 June 2012
Toby Mendel’s article was quoted in a follow-up story discussing Egypt’s progress towards establishing a framework for RTI.
Click here to read the follow-up story
13 Jan 2012 – CLD Executive Director Quoted by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
In a recent story on problems with the Canadian government’s approach to open government the CBC, Canada’s national broadcaster, quoted CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel.
Click here to read the story
15 Dec 2011 – CLD Legal Officer Featured on Insight Indonesia
CLD Legal Officer Michael Karanicolas was featured on a recent broadcast of Insight Indonesia on Beritasatu TV. The wide-ranging, 30 minute interview discussed the history and current status of the right to information around the world, the development of the right to information in Indonesia, and the work of CLD in promoting government openness in Indonesia.
Click here to watch the interview
19 Oct 2011 – Georgian President Comments on the Ask Your Government! 6 Question Campaign
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili prominently commented on his country’s high score in the Ask Your Government! 6 Question Campaign in remarks to government. The remarks were picked up by a number of media outlets.
Click here to read a story about President Saakashvili’s remarks
Click here to watch a news clip about President Saakashvili’s remarks (in Russian)
19 Oct 2011 – RTI Conference in El Salvador Spurs Discussion
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel addressed a conference in El Salvador entitled: “Transparency and the Rule of Law: Implementation of the Law of Access to Information” organized by Fusades, a local NGO. The conference, and Toby Mendel’s comments specifically, attracted attention in the nation’s main newspapers, pushing discussion of the right to information into the public discourse.
Read the article in El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish)
Read the article in El Mundo (in Spanish)
11 Oct 2011 – Global RTI Index Attracts Media Coverage
The unveiling of our Global RTI Index attracted considerable attention in the Canadian media, which focused on Canada’s poor rating:
Read our coverage in the Toronto Star
Read our coverage in the Vancouver Sun
The rating also garnered significant coverage in other countries, including:
The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Gazeta Prawna (Poland – in Polish)
The Slovenian Press Agency (Slovenia)
el Imparcial (Spain – in Spanish)
heise online (Austria – in German)
Krone.at (Austria – in German)
Public Service Europe
Kibris Potasi (Cyprus – in Greek)
UPDATE 21 November 2011: Our findings have also made their way into the academic discourse, cited in a Bosnian journal available here.
UPDATE 3 May 2012: The RTI Rating continues to attract coverage, and was mentioned in a recent article in the Toronto Star about government transparency, available here.
26 December 2010 – Jakarta Globe Examines Indonesia’s New RTI Law
CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel was quoted in an article on the Jakarta Globe about problems with Indonesia’s Law on Public Information Transparency.
Click here to read the article
24 December 2010 – Activists Call on Cayman Islands to Halt Prosecutions
CLD, along with several other human rights organisations, signed an open letter calling on the Cayman Islands’ Speaker of the House to put an end to the prosecution of the Caymanian Compass, a newspaper, and one of its journalists. In an article on the subject, the Caymanian Compass quoted CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel.
Click here to read the article
30 August 2010 – Secrecy in the Process of Adopting a Law on Transparency in Spain
CLD Executive Director, Toby Mendel, was quoted in the Spanish newspaper ABC, in an articles lamenting the fact that there has so far been little consultation around the preparation of a right to information law in Spain.
Click here to read the article (in Spanish)
UPDATE: Toby Mendel was also quoted in a follow-up article, printed the following month.
Click here to read the second article (in Spanish)
26 July 2010 – Access a Fundamental Right, Supreme Court Says
Published as an Op Ed in the Chronicle Herald of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, this piece by CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel outlines the recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, holding that the general constitutional right to freedom of expression includes a right to access information held by public bodies.
Click here to read the Op Ed.
10 June 2010 – Guess Whose Access Laws are More Open than Nova Scotia’s?: Try India’s or Mexico’s on for Size
Published as an Op Ed in the Chronicle Herald of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, this piece by CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel highlights how Nova Scotia’s right to information law is struggling to meet public demand for information and is now less progressive than newer generation laws in India and Mexico.
Click here to read the Op Ed
24 May 2010 – Freedom of Information Now
Picture on the website of the Philippine Congress of CLD Executive Director, Toby Mendel, of a public meeting held in the Congress building to promote the adoption of freedom of information legislation.
Click here to see the picture
19 May 2010 – Let media set up its own regulatory body, international human rights lawyer urges MPs
A Bermudan newspaper, The Royal Gazette, published an article about a CLD letter urging MPs not to adopt the Media Council Bill.
3 May 2010 – The Right to Information: A Human Right
This piece by CLD Executive Director Toby Mendel provides an overview of the recognition in national law and by international courts of the right to information, as well as some of the key benefits of the right to information. It was picked up by local media in Quito after being disseminated by the local branch of UNESCO.
Click here to read the Article (in Spanish)
20 January 2010 – ‘The PATI bill, as drafted, is a good law’
A Bermudan newspaper, The Royal Gazette, published an article about the development and adoption of a local right to information law.
