Category / Law and ethics

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Man’s name banned in teacher affair

NewsAn Alberta man who had an affair with a teacher 10 years ago, when he was a teenager, cannot have his identity published despite his desire to go public, the Supreme Court of…
U.S. author fights British libel judgment

NewsNovember 8, 2007 — Does the guarantee of free speech in America’s first amendment trump English libel law? That’s the question facing New York’s Court of Appeals this month. Rachel Ehrenfeld, a…
Why we fight … publication bans

CommentaryA Saskatchewan judge has ignored a reporter’s challenge to a publication ban imposed in a high-profile criminal case. In an October 2007 column, managing editor Vern Faulkner of the Prince Albert Daily Herald…
Ruling shields informers’ identities

NewsReinforcing the protection given to confidential police informers, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that the court and Crown have no discretion to disclose any details to the public or media…
The limits of web speech

CommentaryThe courts are coming to grips with chat on the Internet, says BBC News Online columnist Bill Thompson. People who post anonymous comments on websites be warned — you can be outed…
British ruling backs investigative reporting

NewsThe Guardian newspaper calls it a “landmark” ruling in defence of investigative reporting. Britain’s court of appeal has used the defence of “responsible journalism” to dismiss a libel action against the publisher of…
Banned: A tale of two trials

FeatureTwo countries, two alleged terrorist cells, two vastly different approaches to the public’s right to know. Why is it Americans get to know so much more than Canadians about important court cases?…
Covering the U.S. courts

BackgrounderConrad Black’s fraud trial in Chicago highlighted the differences between the Canadian and American systems of justice. A Canadian journalist who needs to know how a grand jury works or where to…
N.S. rulings blazed trail of openness

FeatureAll CBC reporter Linden MacIntyre wanted was to see search warrants tied to an RCMP investigation into allegations of political corruption. That simple request wound up before the Supreme Court of Canada…
Covering Mahar Arar: A panel discussion

When journalism and national security collideToronto’s Osgoode Hall Law School hosted a panel discussion on March 21, 2007, exploring media coverage of Mahar Arar story. How should journalists have handled anonymous leaks…