Category / Law and ethics

AnalysisThe Internet’s immediacy and global reach means reputations can be ruined with the click of a mouse. The courts have just begun to grapple with allegations of defamation on the Internet, but it’s clear publishers and writers risk being sued…

FeatureAs John Jaffey of the Ryerson Review of Journalism discovered, it takes a special breed of lawyer to deliver us from libel.…

FeaturePolice have more power over reporters than most of us realize. Whatcha gonna do when they come for your notes or tapes? Jay Somerset investigates for the Ryerson Review of Journalism.…

BackgrounderA Canadian court is unlikely to recognize a journalist’s right to protect the identity of a confidential source. So how should journalists deal with sources who ask for anonymity?…

FeatureSearch warrant files contain a wealth of information about police investigations and allegations of wrongdoing. While warrants are often sealed in high-profile cases, media organizations are winning court battles to bring their contents to light. By Dean Jobb.…

This section contains information, advice and commentary on legal issues that arise when covering court cases, trials and hearings.…

CommentaryA legal precedent on the disclosure of evidence means what a journalist tells the police or other investigators could wind up as Exhibit A in court. A word to the wise – remember, anything you say or do could be…

FeatureCrown attorneys’ media rules walk the line between informing the public and preserving the right to fair trial. So what can prosecutors tell journalists – and the public – about court cases? By Dean Jobb.…

CommentaryThe contempt conviction of Hamilton Spectator reporter Ken Peters for refusing to name a source shows the wisdom of devising an exit strategy before making a promise of confidentiality. By Dean Jobb.…

FeatureA committee of Nova Scotia judges and journalists has decided that court officials should decide which reporters and media organizations can use cameras and tape recorders at the Law Courts building in Halifax, the province’s busiest courthouse. As Ainslie MacLellan…