The coalition “Sortons les radios-bins”, which thousands of people follow on social networks, has denounced for ten years the intimidation and the false comments that have been made on the airwaves of Radio X.
She now has to shut down her Facebook page because RNC Media, owner of CHOI Radio X, is threatening to take legal action to compel the coalition to reveal the names of its administrators. They oppose it for obvious reasons: they do not want to become the target of attacks by the hosts of CHOI Radio X. A few years ago, the case of Jean-François Jacob, an Internet user critical of the station who, at the result of pressure from the latter, had not only lost his job, but also seen one of his windows smashed by billiard balls, is enough to make him understand. When you take it upon yourself to publicly criticize bullies and to denounce their freedom of oppression, certain precautions are necessary.
Since the creation of the collective, in 2012, the coalition “Sortons les radios-poubelles” had taken the habit of broadcasting on its networks excerpts from radio programs that it considered harmful. This content was regularly relayed by many citizens in the world of media and social networks. However RNC Media, not accepting any criticism, went there with legal threats and intimidation to stop the use of audio extracts. Although the reuse of excerpts for the purpose of critiquing them is clearly authorized under the Canadian Copyright Act, the coalition has chosen to stick to text versions of the talks of the presenters. . Not everyone has the means and the energy to defend themselves effectively in long and costly lawsuits. RNC Media, yes.
But that did not satisfy RNC Media. The owners of Radio X have decided to continue to intimidate and gag the members of this coalition, who recently had no choice but to close their Facebook page. It is a huge loss for the freedom to criticize such content. Already, last spring, YouTube had taken the decision to close their account after being pressured by the same owners, who wrongly considered that their copyrights were infringed by taking over extracts from problematic content. This creates a huge vacuum for critical thinking, as well as for the defense of individuals and groups who are intimidated, defamed or harassed on the airwaves of this radio.
We oppose this attempt to gag and refuse any kind of criticism, which directly undermines freedom of expression. The money and the bullying judiciary should not dictate who in our society has the right to speak up and who should shut up. Who can be criticized, and who cannot. In a democracy, freedom of expression must be stronger than freedom of oppression. Without it, we’re screwed.
*Signatories:
Dominique Payette, Professor in the Department of Information and Communication, Université Laval
Jean-Hugues Roy, Professor, School of Media, UQAM
Martine Delvaux, professor of literature, University of Quebec in Montreal
Michel Seymour, retired philosophy professor from the University of Montreal
Jonathan Durand Folco, professor at the School of Social Innovation at St-Paul University
Dany Rondeau, professor of philosophy, University of Quebec at Rimouski
Catherine Dorion, MP for Taschereau
Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, former mayor of Gatineau
Alexandre Boulerice, MP for Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie
Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash, columnist
Safia Nolin, singer-songwriter
Fabrice Vil, lawyer, social entrepreneur and columnist
Léa Clermont Dion, author
Boufeldja Benabdallah, co-founder of the Islamic Cultural Center of Quebec
Ismael Seck, special education teacher
Sébastien Bouchard, committed citizen for healthy media
Pénélope Daignault, Professor of Public Communication, Laval University