Silence of the Parks

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Published on Friday, 05 October 2018 11:40

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Silence of the Parks r1 Trudeau was supposed to reverse Harper-era scientist muzzling. He hasn't. ...

Under former prime minister Stephen Harper, scientists were told not to speak to media without going through Byzantine vetting processes, effectively shutting down the media's ability to get government science to the public.

That was supposed to change under Trudeau. But within Parks Canada at least, it hasn't.

A new investigation from reporter Gloria Dickie reveals that Parks Canada is putting up roadblocks for journalists on the most innocuous of stories.

Instead of making scientists available to share their expertise, communications staff demand pre-approved questions, insist on impossible lead times or deny reasonable media requests altogether.

Dickie interviewed journalists and experts from across Canada to bring you an investigation that asks a simple question: why isn't Parks Canada talking to the public?

You can find her story here, and keep scrolling to see what else we've brought you this week.

Emma Gilchrist
Editor-in-Chief, The Narwhal

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#OpenParks
/ˈōpən pärks/

A process by which the public and the media come together in the hopes of reminding a federal agency that their loyalty is to the people of Canada, rather than politicians or dusty, old bureaucrats.

Are you a journalist with a story about Parks Canada refusing to allow experts to speak, shutting down visit requests or otherwise forgetting who they work for? Tweet it out with #OpenParks to join the conversation. The Narwhal in the world Our reporting often travels well beyond our website and the walls of this snazzy newsletter. In fact, our in-depth, original reporting is regularly picked up by traditional publications here and abroad. This week the Alaskan publication Juneau Empire gave a nod to the deep dive The Narwhal's James Wilt did on the dire financial straits of Imperial Metals, owner and operator of the Red Chris mine, a massive operation situated upstream of some of Alaska's most abundant salmon rivers. If you haven't already found yourself completely engrossed in the story of Cleopatra Semaganis Nicotine, brought to you by the talented CBC team at Missing & Murdered — Clear. Your. Schedule.

Canada has a difficult past and much of our shared story with this country's Indigenous population can be hard to face up to. You'd be hard pressed to find a more riveting, spine-tingling, tear-jerking, historically illuminating way to hear an untold part of that shared story than to simply let this podcast flood your ears and make its way to your heart. Have a friend who loves stories about wildlife? Real ones that really happened? Send them this newsletter signup link and may the furs be with you. r33 Copyright © 2018 The Narwhal, All rights reserved.
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