How free is the freedom of the press in Canada? Freedom of the press is guaranteed by Section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: "Everyone [has] fundamental freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication" average). However, Article 1 states that fundamental freedoms in democracy may be limited for justifiable reasons: “The Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out therein subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a democratic context". free and democratic society” (Media Law). There are criminal and municipal laws at the provincial and federal levels that impose legal restrictions on how the press gathers and publishes information (media law). For example, there are criminal laws against trespassing and recording information (“Internet Defamation”). The essay will focus on the most relevant law regarding press freedom, “defamation”. It will explore the issue of defamation in the context of internet use and show, through court cases, how 'private' online messages such as emails are relentless in defamation cases. According to the legal definition, defamation occurs in a specific case. “[When] a person (individual, firm or corporation) says (slander) or writes (defamation) something harmful (non-trivial) to the reputation of another person” (“Internet Defamation”). Defamation may not be trivial, but complaining about a product or a harmful comment on a blog or social media site may fall into this category ("Internet Defamation"). This definition describes defamation laws as highly subjective; depends on the victims, the offender...... middle of paper ......x.htm>.Powell, Betsy. “Defamatory emails cost the sender $7,800.” The Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd, 4 September 2008. Web. 6 April 2011. .Proudfoot, Sharon. “The unruly world of the Internet leads to an increase in defamation cases.” Canada.com. CANWEST, March 17, 2006. Web. April 6, 2011. .Sutherland, David F. “Defamation on the Internet.” IDEM/CMLA announcement. David F. Sutherland & Associates, 1999. Web. April 6, 2011. “Wiebe v. Bouchard, 2005 BCSC 47.” Roger McConchie Law - Defamation Privacy Media Prejudicial Falsehood Breach of Confidence Internet Law and Legal Services. McConchie Law Corporation. Network. April 11. 2011. .