Is the media free to comment upon court proceedings?
Alberta, Canada
The following excerpt is from R. v. White, 2007 ABQB 359 (CanLII):
The media, albeit a private and often for-profit enterprise, is the public’s eyes and ears to the formal justice system. The public depends upon the media for information about the court process. Cory J., in Edmonton Journal v. Alberta (Attorney General), 1989 CanLII 20 (SCC), [1989] 2 S.C.R. 1326 explains, “[t]he press must be free to comment upon court proceedings to ensure that the courts are, in fact, seen by all to operate openly in the penetrating light of public scrutiny.”p.1339. He goes on in the following paragraph, “[d]iscussion of court cases and constructive criticism of court proceedings is dependent upon the receipt by the public of information as to what transpired in court. Practically speaking, this information can only be obtained from the newspapers or other media.”p.1340.
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