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Ottawa Citizen

Media outlet demands apology after Ottawa police arrests citizen journalist

A volunteer-operated media outlet is decrying the arrest of one of its volunteer journalists at a protest opposing the CANSEC military trade show in Ottawa on May 28. Article content Article content The North Star, an independent media organization, said Ramona Murphy was one of the 13 individuals arrested by the Ottawa Police Service during demonstrations that sought to disrupt the annual major arms show. Article content Article content Article content Another demonstrator was later arrested in a separate demonstration in front of OPS headquarters on Elgin Street. Article content The North Star said police threatened Murphy with mischief and resisting arrest charges, but she was released without charge eight hours later. Article content 'Arresting a journalist, whether a volunteer or not, is a frontal attack on press freedom,' the news release added. Article content Bruno Le Héritte, a spokesperson for The North Star, said citizen journalists were recognized 'as important as any other journalist.' Article content 'I think everyone who tries to reveal the truth about the world is important,' he said. 'When we say people say we are in a democracy, then we should prove that.' Article content Article content In 2021, Darnella Frazier won a Pulitzer Prize for her recording of the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minn., which set off a global reckoning on racial injustice and police brutality. Article content Article content Le Héritte said those who were doing their job documenting protests shouldn't have to worry about the risk of arrest. Article content The Ottawa Police Service could not confirm whether or not there was an exclusion zone set up for media during the protests against CANSEC. An exclusion zone is a practice by police to place journalists in a specific area and away from a police operation. Article content In an interview, Murphy said that, if there was an exclusion zone, it was 'difficult to ascertain where it was' given how quickly the police formations shifted.