UOttawa issues apology after preventing media from filming, photographing speech by China ambassador

The University of Ottawa has issued an apology after it prevented media from filming a speech made by China’s Ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu. “We made the wrong decision at the last moment,” said UOttawa President Jacques Frémont. “We apologize to the media involved. We should have done better to protect the freedom of the press.” The National Post reports that reporters from outlets such as the Canadian Press , Radio-Canada, CTV News, and Globe and Mail were prevented from filming or photographing the event. CBC reports that the demand to prohibit cameras in the room came from the ambassador, although National Post remarks that UOttawa did not confirm this information. Several members of the federal government stressed the importance of the freedom of the media and denounced the decision to prevent cameras in the room. National Post| La Presse| CBC Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.