Joseph Howe The Tribune of Nova Scotia

This short drama is a portrait of Nova Scotian journalist and politician Joseph Howe 18041873 and his battle for freedom of press When in 1835 Howe was accused of seditious libel no lawyer dared defend him Choosing to defend himself he addressed the jury for over 6 hours urging jurors to leave an unshackled press as a legacy to their children Though the judge instructed the jury to find Howe guilty jurors took only 10 minutes to acquit him a landmark event in the evolution of press freedom in Canada