Contempt of court – Canadian Journalism Foundation

Archive

23 Jul

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 […]

19 Feb

TV station in contempt for ban breach

News A British Columbia television station has been fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to violating a court order shielding the identity of an undercover police officer. Kelowna-based CHBC Televisionshowed theofficer with her face obscured, but the court order prohibited the publication or broadcast of “any likeness” of undercover officers called as witnesses. The ruling said […]

31 Dec

Was the BBC right to broadcast interview with murder suspect?

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.

23 Oct

Trial by journalist

FeatureIn Canada, you’re innocent until proven guilty. You wouldn’t know it from reading some of Christie Blatchford’s columns on high-profile trials. Mike Drach of the Ryerson Review of Journalism explains how one journalist has pushed the limits of the law of contempt of court.