Tag Archives: publication ban

Social Media’s Growing Up by Learning its Lessons from Traditional Sources

By Jason Menard

Sure, there may still be some growing pains here and there, but there are signs that social media is growing up and it’s putting the responsibility for content back where it belongs – the reader — thanks to lessons learned from traditional sources.

Two recent examples have illustrated this perfectly. I discussed the Tori Stafford murder trial coverage, and the tribulations it caused amongst a media struggling to figure out how to balance the public’s right to know with its equal right to not know. In the end, especially on Twitter, local media chose to post key messages on their main feeds, directing them to full content on a parallel Twitter channel – with full disclaimers and warnings of the graphic content. Continue reading

Stafford Case Prompts Question of Right Versus Need to Know

By Jason Menard

Should there ever be a point when protecting the public’s need to know gets tempered by what the public truly needs to know?

Today the Supreme Court of Canada upheld an earlier decision to partially lift a publication ban in the Tori Stafford murder case. As a result, we’ve learned that Terri-Lynne McClintic pleaded guilty in April to first-degree murder charges that will see her serve 25-to-life in prison. Continue reading