Tried to ban freedom of the press, tut tut Rachel!
Rachel Notley's NDP lifts ban on The Rebel, says it made a mistake
In an abrupt about-face, the Alberta NDP government says it will not ban any media outlets from news conferences while a review of its policies is underway.
"We've heard a lot of feedback from Albertans and media over the course of the last two days and it's clear we made a mistake," Cheryl Oates, communications director for Premier Rachel Notley, said Wednesday in a written statement.
"The government has appointed former Western Canadian bureau chief for Canadian Press, Heather Boyd, to consult and give us recommendations on what the government's media policies should be. In the meantime, no one will be excluded from government media events."
The government banned correspondents from The Rebel conservative news site last week, saying "they are not journalists."
The site, owned by right-wing pundit Ezra Levant, has been highly critical of Notley and her government.
The ban was criticized by journalists and free speech advocates across the country, and was the subject of a scathing editorial in the Globe and Mail that called it "beyond deplorable."
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/rachel-notleys-ndp-lifts-ban-on-the-rebel-says-it-made-a-mistak...
