What would you have chosen to do as a journalist in this situation? Because this case study is intended primarily as a teaching resource, a password is required to view the epilogue. The purpose is to encourage readers to pause and think about how they would resolve the difficulty, before learning how the journalist(s) involved […]

The public only consumes the final product, and generally doesn’t have insight into the decision-making process going on behind-the-scenes where news organizations determine what to present to their audience and how to present it. Given the nature of the evidence at the Saretzky trial, these types of decisions carried even more weight than usual. Because […]

Making judgment calls in newsrooms was a simpler endeavour before the 24-hour news cycle took effect. Now that readers are able to access multiple different news sources with the click of a mouse, the pressure of competition can factor into a newsroom’s decision-making about what kind of content should be included their reporting. Local papers […]

In the digital age, news outlets are no longer limited to covering significant stories like the Saretzky case in print. They now have the freedom to broadcast the stories on television, radio, publish on the web and share live updates through social media. Grant was assigned to live-tweet the trial and to publish stories on […]

Grant discussed the case with management at CBC Calgary, including senior editor Helen Henderson. “Meghan [knew] instinctively this was getting to the point where it was more than just a personal judgment call,” said Henderson. “It was an institutional call.”1Helen Henderson. Interview done by Dan LeBaron, Devika Desai. December 12, 2017. Due to the nature […]

Although news organizations were aware of the kind of evidence that would be presented in court, Grant said they had little time between when the evidence was presented and when they would need to make decisions about whether to publish. This meant expedient decisions had to be made regarding what evidence was necessary, and how […]

According to Dean Jobb, author of Media Law for Canadian Journalists, “The court of public opinion should operate with a full understanding of the facts and the law … an understanding that can only come through fair and accurate news coverage.” The Saretzky trial certainly wasn’t the first time CBC covered a case that contained […]