🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <nikon.729.0@ee470.EE.McGill.CA>
nikon@ee470.EE.McGill.CA (Stephen M. Eisenberg) writes:

> given a press pass?  By what authority does the press work?  Self appointed 
> "guardians" of society?  Somehow I trust the Canadian courts more so than 
> the foreign press.

As for your first question, that is one of the oddities which has
arisen from the decision of Judge Kouvack (sp?). He allowed Canadian
press members (ie employees of a company which is recognized as a
publisher in Canada), but no foreign press. This implies a
differentiation between those two groups. He also disallowed the
general public, therefore differentiating between the press and the
public. So, the message that this sends out is that the members of the
court can know the details, the members of the press who are present
may know the details, but the public who is supposed to judge whether
or not our trial system is working are not allowed to know what is
going on.

The more I think about it, it seems to be an issue of control. If John
PressReporter attends the case, and his employer leaks some
information, the court can then nail that company. If Sue
PubliclyConcerned goes to watch the trial, since registration is not
necessary up front, she can then leave the room, publish the news
directly and the court has no way to enforce its ridiculous ban. The
decision to allow the media in was merely a PR ass-saving move. You can
bloody well bet that if he had disallowed even their attendance that we
would have all heard about it on the front page.


Troy Angrignon ------------------ e-mail: tangrign@nero.UVic.CA
"Wind, sun, sand, surf - the four elements necessary for life."