Regulating Embedded Journalism

David Bratzer

Embedded journalism has been utilized in foreign countries during times of war, but its greatest potential is within our own borders and the best way to achieve this is through regulation. We can increase government transparency by creating laws designed to protect embedded journalists. These laws would enable journalists to embed on domestic and foreign assignments within most areas of the Canadian government.

This would enable a kind of “deep reporting” about our everyday government institutions: hospitals, safety inspection agencies, prisons and fire departments, to name but a few. The regulation of embedded journalism is a powerful legal idea that would strengthen Canadian democracy.