CP fined for breaching ban
News
The Canadian Press has been fined $4,000 for contempt of court for breaching a publication ban imposed at a British Columbia murder trial last year. The wire service circulated a report that used the first name of an undercover RCMP officer whose identity was protected under a court-ordered ban. The CP reporter covering the case was aware of the ban but assumed the name used to identify the officer in court was a pseudonym; it turned out to be the officer’s real name. The ruling will be of particular interest to online journalists, as the report appeared on only a handful of websites before CP realized its mistake, killed the story and apologized to the court. Read the Vancouver Sun report. Read the ruling.
News
The Canadian Press has been fined $4,000 for contempt of court for breaching a publication ban imposed at a British Columbia murder trial last year. The wire service circulated a report that used the first name of an undercover RCMP officer whose identity was protected under a court-ordered ban. The CP reporter covering the case was aware of the ban but assumed the name used to identify the officer in court was a pseudonym; it turned out to be the officer’s real name. The ruling will be of particular interest to online journalists, as the report appeared on only a handful of websites before CP realized its mistake, killed the story and apologized to the court. Read the Vancouver Sun report. Read the ruling.
