The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is deeply concerned by a recent Saskatchewan RCMP email urging journalists to check with police before publishing details about ongoing investigations — an attempt to give police a veto over independent editorial decisions.
Two RCMP officers were recently injured in a shooting in Melville, Saskatchewan.
Following that incident, the RCMP emailed journalists asking them not to publish information provided by witnesses as it could “reshape memories that influence future interviews” and “impact future jury pools.” The email suggests that any media “in receipt of a special detail” should reach out to the RCMP before publishing that information.
The email further discourages media from reporting on details of incidents as it could impact victims of crime and their family and friends.
“In a democracy, police must not control what information journalists publish. Reporters play a crucial role in keeping Canadians safe by giving them timely information that police do not always provide,” said Paul Schneidereit, CAJ vice-chair.
“The RCMP needs to rescind this inappropriate call asking journalists to ask permission before reporting stories.”
In the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting, for example, the RCMP took 12 hours to tell the public that the shooter was driving what looked like a police car.
The CAJ has spent decades working with the RCMP to ensure they respect basic democratic freedoms. This has included multiple private meetings with senior RCMP officers as well as public education campaigns and, when those have failed, court challenges. In 2021, for example, the British Columbia Supreme Court ordered the RCMP to stop blocking journalists from covering an ongoing protest over logging. In 2025, the RCMP formally apologized for violating a journalist’s rights. And CAJ President Brent Jolly recently testified in support of Amber Bracken, who is suing the RCMP for unjustly arresting her.
Journalists routinely weigh what the public has a right to know against potential harms to victims, witnesses, fair-trial rights and active police operations. That judgment is central to responsible reporting. It cannot be outsourced to police, and it must never be subject to police veto.
It is not the role of RCMP nor any public body to control what the media may publish. Suggesting that the media rely only on RCMP released narratives and information about incidents is a clear violation of press freedom.
The role of journalism is to hold institutions and people in power accountable, including the RCMP, to publish information in the public interest, and to give victims of crime and others a public platform to have their voices heard. It is the role of newsrooms, not police, to determine what information is in the public interest and to uphold journalistic principles including minimizing harm.
Police investigations, meanwhile, must be able to withstand media scrutiny while the justice system has legal safeguards in place to protect an accused person’s right to a fair trial such as publication bans on pre-trial proceedings, changes of venue and jury sequestration.
The Canadian Association of Journalists is the country’s largest professional organization that serves to advance the interests of journalists from coast to coast to coast. The CAJ’s primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.
For further information: Brent Jolly, president, Canadian Association of Journalists, brent@caj.ca
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