“If you are any credible media person — they would have left.”

I’ve spent 39 days (and counting) of my life in a Vancouver courtroom this year — and I can’t stop thinking about this line from an audio recording played at The Narwhal’s press freedom trial against the RCMP.

These words, uttered by one of the officers who arrested photojournalist Amber Bracken while she was on assignment for us, strike at the very heart of what is at stake in this case: the right of journalists to report on behalf of the public without state interference.

The courtroom fell silent as the audio recording of their dialogue came out of the speakers. Despite Amber’s declarations of being with the media, her professional camera gear, a visible press pass on her bag and a letter of assignment, the officer had little concern for her constitutionally protected rights as a journalist.

Amber Bracken: “Your team has been notified that I’m here today. Your team … ”

Sergeant Jeffrey Milliard: “That’s fine, ma’am, right now you are under arrest for breach of a civil injunction. We’ll sort it out, okay, but right now we’re arresting everybody for breach of that civil injunction. As a press person you should have left the building long ago.”

From our perspective, these haunting lines belie a profound misunderstanding of Canadians’ right to a free press. They also highlight a fundamental misunderstanding of the work that The Narwhal does, that all journalists do — the work we are fighting so hard to protect.

Perhaps it’s an understandable mistake: this kind of journalism, the kind that makes big government institutions uneasy, is becoming an endangered species. It’s risky and expensive — and we need more people to stand with us so we can keep up the fight.

Will you help sustain this critical work by making a monthly or yearly donation to The Narwhal? Become a member today and, along with our undying gratitude, we’ll send you a pair of limited edition socks!

Amber was arrested in a remote area in northern B.C., where she had travelled to do on-the-ground reporting about a major conflict between Indigenous land defenders and a powerful pipeline company. This kind of gritty, first-person journalism is increasingly rare, as newsrooms with dwindling teams and budgets are forced to report on the nation from the confines of their desks.

Not at The Narwhal. As public-interest journalism faces the compounding effects of dying newsrooms, AI-generated content and interference from tech barons, we know that sending humans out into the world to witness conflict and communities and ecosystems is more important than ever.

But we can’t do that from the backseat of a police car. Or from the confines of a cold, harshly lit jail cell. (The RCMP held Amber in one for three nights.)

We launched this lawsuit, in spite of the risks and the incredible costs, to fight for the right of every journalist in Canada to do their work without risk of police interference.

This fight is important. But what we really want, in the end, is to keep doing the work — the work of digging, investigating, telling stories that governments and powerful institutions would rather keep quiet. And publishing photographs the RCMP might rather you didn’t see, too.

Through this trial, the support from you, readers of The Narwhal, has been overwhelming. You’ve donated to our legal fund, sent words of encouragement, offered accommodations in Vancouver and showed up with smiles and affirming nods in the courtroom.

Your support has been the wind in our sails and the encouragement we need to keep going. So that’s what we’re going to do — and you can help.

I’m asking 233 people to become the newest members of The Narwhal by making a monthly or yearly donation this June. Can I count you in?

Your recurring support will help ensure we can keep sending reporters and photographers to the places where real stories are happening — even if the RCMP might prefer we didn’t. Join today and you’ll get these awesome socks.

From immediately after her arrest and through the beginning of this trial, the RCMP sought to undermine Amber’s reputation as a journalist. Now that we’re in the last days of this epic, nine-week trial, those criticisms have fallen away.

Turns out the evidentiary record shows something we’re incredibly proud of: The Narwhal and Amber Bracken represent the best of what journalism is and should be in Canada.

Consider us emboldened. And, with support from people like you, we can keep up those high standards of excellence and integrity.

We want you on our team — now with matching socks! Become a member today to support journalism that doesn’t flinch.

The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for our free weekly dose of independent journalism.