Centennial Honors College
Western Illinois University
Undergraduate Research Day 2014
Podium Presentation
The Evolution of Canadian Press Freedom
Joshua Dillon
Faculty Mentor: Yong Tang
Journalism
Canada has always been known as a very free nation. It is where American slaves in
the 1800's fled to. It is a country that's usually known for being lax, carefree, and
tolerant of just about anything. The Canadian media system is no different, as it has
been evolving more toward the free and transparent side than the restrictive hush-hush
side of journalism. This study will examine moments in the history of Canadian mass
media that have shaped the country as a free journalistic society. More importantly, the
paper will analyze different scores Canada has received from international indices of
press freedom, such as Reporters without Borders, Freedom House IREX, and the
Committee to Protect Journalists. After comparing press freedoms of Canada with that
of the United States, this study finds that, in the last 13 years, Canada has been
consistently ranked higher than America, Canada's southern neighbor long touted as a
bastion of free speech and a global leader of freedom of the press. The reasons for the
better performance of Canada will be discussed.