Thread by @_llebrun

Happening now:

Ottawa People's Commission is hearing testimony on the convoy's impact on journalists.

opc-cpo.ca/hearing/8-oct-… #ottnews

First speaker is @EvanLSolomon.

Solomon thanks @ottpeoplescomm, noting Ottawa residents have gotten very little time to express their views at the Rouleau Commission.

#ottnews #cdnmedia

Solomon says he decided to testify because he was an Ottawa resident and saw its impact on his @ctvottawa colleagues.

Solomon says he’s “not an activist,” but spoke to convoy leaders and government officials alike – “I tried to get to the heart of the action as close I could.”

Solomon says he was accused of being a “government mouthpiece,” which was a belief of many convoy participants.

Solomon says he was spat on, had a beer thrown at him, but notes he’s 6’4 and did not personally feel physically threatened, his experience is different from others.

Solomon says CTV News assigned them a security person while they were doing live shots in the streets, but there were a few times when security told them to leave because things were too “intense” and “aggressive.”

Solomon says he spoke to a veteran who had understandable concerns about vaccines (I think he referenced an anti-malaria drug).

But “the leadership was egging people on in very destructive ways,” notes many convoy participants believed in conspiracies and unverified information.

Solomon says in his entire career, he never received so much feedback from local residents.

Journalists acted as a kind of “proxy” for residents who were “overwhelmed” and “anxious,” “residents were dying to speak to (journalists) because they had no voice.”

Solomon says his uncle died of COVID.

He says convoy supporters skeptically questioned this claim when he told them that.

Asked about the lack of information communicated to the public, @AlexNeve24 says this was an “abdication of state responsibility.”

Solomon notes that the Emergencies Act Inquiry has so far done a good job revealing Ottawa Police response was “shambolic.”

Solomon suggests different police agencies / levels of government could not coordinate with one another and it led to “confusion” and sent “mixed messages.”

Police sent the message to the public that anyone can do whatever they want.

Solomon says he’s “never had to use a security guard in Canada,” but recalls he did when he reported from Iran.

He adds that other CTV reporters required “multiple security guards.” Says CTV “mandated” assigning private security guards to journalists.

@leilanifarha asks about a comment that journalists had a “difficult time determining who was in control.”

Solomon says journalists are used to dealing with organizations that have clear leaders / command structures / spokespersons, etc. Convoy was not like this.

“If the journalists don't know who to speak to, and police don't know how to speak to, the mayor doesn't know who to speak to” how are the public supposed to “make heads or tails of this.”

Solomon now signs off and thanks @ottpeoplescomm.

Next up is @wickdchiq.

Erica says for years her coverage has focused on “marginalized communities,” it’s never been a problem until recently.

Ifill says she went downtown to Metcalfe street and it was all parties.

A few blocks over at Kent Street, things were much more menacing and chaotic.

Ifill says the convoy disproportionately impacted BIPOC workers and residents.

Disabled residents had trouble getting around. Many residents had “grave concerns” about “sexual assault and sexual harassment.”

Ifill notes that one consequence of her reporting and tweeting about the convoy has been a coordinated harassment campaign.

“This convoy was a watershed for the far-right and white supremacy in this country.”

@d_owusuakyeeah asks about Ifill’s comments about how BIPOC residents simultaneously had “equal fear” of the convoy and the police.

Ifill says a lot of the mainstream media coverage failed to reflect the experiences of people in these communities.

Ifill says she’s heard from Black residents who continued getting ticketed by Ottawa Police during the convoy.

This was a double-standard as the convoy continued to be allowed to “do whatever they want to do.”

“A lot of the media I saw were white, a lot of the media I saw were male,” Ifill notes of reporters with mainstream outlets in downtown Ottawa.

Ifill says she had serious concerns for her safety after she was targeted by a coordinated harassment campaign after convoy events around Canada Day.

Ottawa Police did not take complaints seriously. Ifill had concerns about lack of information sharing dealing with online hate.

“I don’t believe the police have a resource problem, they have a resource allocation problem,” says @wickdchiq.

Ifill suggests Ottawa Police could take resources used to harass Black motorists and reallocate it to investigating hate crimes.

Ifill says marginalized communities did not have a voice in mainstream media coverage, instead had to rely on online groups and spaces.

“Our concerns were not centered anywhere else.”

“The police respond differently based on who the protesters are and what they are protesting for ... Ottawa Police weren’t just inept, they were nefarious.”

Now up: @Brent_T_Jolly of @caj.

Jolly notes the Emergencies Act Inquiry has not looked at the on convoy’s impact on journalists and press freedom.

Jolly says over the course of the convoy, @caj was involved in making sure newsroom leaders took preemptive action to ensure the security of reporters while they were “on the job.”

Jolly spoke to dozens and dozens of journalists who felt threatened and “dehumanized.”

Jolly says he is aware of journalists being doxxed, having their private home addresses posted online with comments to go to their homes.

@caj heard from journalists who were threatened and faced death threats during the convoy.

Video journalists expressed concerns that TV cameras became a “visual signifier” among convoy supporters, leading them to be swarmed and harassed by convoy mobs on the streets.

There were instances where police apparently interfered with journalists covering the convoy on the streets, leading @caj to issue a statement to Ottawa Police.

Jolly says the harassment targeting journalists during the convoy was not a “one-off event” and needs to be understood as a press freedom issue.

This is not an issue just in Ottawa, but also in smaller communities across Canada.

@leilanifarha asks about police interference with journalists.

Jolly says Ottawa Police placed “restrictions” on where journalists could not go / would not let them take photos or videos.

Jolly is referencing this letter, which lists several incidents:

caj.ca/open-letter-to…

Jolly says conspiratorial ideas about journalists “carrying water” for the government directly contributed to security issues for media workers during the convoy.

And that’s it for today’s hearing.

Reminder that the Ottawa People’s Commission is a community-organized inquiry focused on documenting the convoy’s impact on Ottawa residents.

opc-cpo.ca