J-Links for July 5: Police return images; Reaction to citizen journalism; Editor charged with treason

In Canadian media:

Police return 12-year-old negatives to The Star, reminder police less likely to seize media images

Twelve years ago, now-retired Toronto Star photographer Boris Spremo captured photos during a violent protest between police and anti-poverty activists at Queen’s Park. Toronto Police seized the negatives by warrant and they were recently returned to the Toronto Star’s library. This is a reminder that since the invention of smart phones —equipped with high-quality cameras — police are less likely to seize media images as citizens usually offer up their photos.

CBSC decides radio prank call was not sexually explicit, but requires consent

The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) made a decision about a prank telephone call made by a radio host that was broadcast on a Vancouver radio station in November 2011. The CBSC found that the call from CKZZ-FM’s (Virgin Radio 95.3) afternoon show with Kiah & Tara Jean did not violate privacy and was not sexually explicit but they should have obtained consent before broadcasting.

Douglas Todd’s e-mail reaction from previous column about citizen journalism and ethics

Douglas Todd wrote a column last weekend called “If ‘We’re all journalists now,’ what’s our ethical code?” He continues the discussion after receiving a numbe of e-mails. Todd published part of one e-mail in particular, written by Ross Howard, a veteran Canadian journalist who teaches journalism ethics at Vancouver's Langara College. He says that citizen journalism is like an oxymoron.

In international media:

Azerbaijan charges newspaper editor with treason

Azerbaijan has charged the editor of Talyshi Sado (Voice of Talysh), an ethnic minority newspaper, with treason. Hilal Mammadov is also a rights activist and officials say he was charged for working with Iran and spying on their behalf. He allegedly was using journalism as a cover to “secretly cooperate with Iranian secret services.”

Today’s read:

Teenage music prodigy faces deportation from Canada

Thomas Bacsi recently turned 18 and experts see him as a future classical music star. He is a scholarship student in the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music program and is on the right path to musical success, however he and his family are facing a deportation order from the federal government. They could be back in their home country of Hungary as early as Friday.