FeatureDid the BBC risk running afoul of Britain’s contempt of court laws when it aired an interview with a suspect in the Suffolk prostitute murders? BBC media correspondent Torin Douglas reports.
FeatureFor Canadians to make informed political decisions, the press must be free to gather and report political news. The Harper government’s restrictions on media access to politicians and news events is at odds with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects political speech and freedom of the press. University of Alberta law student Graham…
FeatureThe rapid rise of amateur commentators mounting the soapbox of Internet blogs has led to a small, but growing number of online libel cases. Shannon Proudfoot, CanWest News Service, reports.
NewsTelevision cameras are generally barred from Ontario’s courtrooms, but an August 2006 report recommends partial lifting of the ban. “Our justice system is ready for its close-up,” says Attorney General Michael Bryant, who endorses the recommendation and believes cameras will eventually be permitted in courtrooms across Canada. CBC News reports. The recommendation is one of…
NewsThere will be no sweeping publication ban on the first-degree murder trial of Robert Pickton, even though the accused serial killer could face a second trial at a later date. A British Columbia judge made the ruling Dec. 14, 2006, after lawyers for news organizations argued a ban would effectively mean one of the biggest…
BackgrounderThe Internet has changed the landscape of Canadian media law, but the rules that govern what appears in the traditonal media also apply online. A primer on defamation law, publication bans and copyright on the Internet, as well as the restrictions on accessing child pornography.
CommentaryCanadian Internet service providers need protection from libel suits sparked by web postings, argues Internet law expert Michael Geist.
FeatureExperts says reporters sensationalize youth crime and contribute to the public misconception that teens are increasingly violent and out of control. Stephanie Cameron checks the facts behind the headlines in the King’s Journalism Review.
CommentaryCanadian news outlets, however unknowingly, helped smear Maher Arar’s reputation. The editor-in-chief of CBC News says the case highlights why journalists should be wary of using anonymous sources. By Tony Burman. Posted Oct. 3, 2006.
FeatureMuslim outrage over published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has fueled a debate in Canada on what constitutes freedom of speech. Marlene Rego reports in the Ryerson Review of Journalism.