Harold Evans, former editor of the Times and Sunday Times of London once defined news as "something that someone doesn't want you to know".
If you accept that definition, then there is lots of news in Prince George and BC that someone doesn't want you to know.
Last Friday in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Canada recognized the right of journalist to protect the identity of their sources and outlined a series of steps for judges to follow in weighing the public's right to benefit from investigative reporting against disclosing the name of a source.
The case featured a Quebec media firm, Le Groupe Polygone Editeurs Inc. a defendant in the Liberal Sponsorship Scandal that was trying to force Globe and Mail reporter Daniel LeBlanc to reveal the source for his stories that blew the lid off the scandal. An affair that cost the Canadian taxpayer hundred's of millions, and some say the Liberals the government.
Judge Le Bel of the Supreme Court also made it clear that journalist should never be sub poenaed to testify or divulge sources if there are other means available to obtain that same information.
Closer to home we have become accustomed to governments and their agencies hiding behind back room deals that include so called "confidentiality" provisions, whereby defendants are not permitted as part of the settlement to talk about the details.
Just ask Gordon Campbell about the BC Rail Scandal settlement last week, part of which included that provision.
As a newspaper serving Prince George and Northern BC, The Citizen made a commitment 2 years ago that we would buck the trend and dedicate people and resources to doing investigative reporting.
During that time, we have spent thousands of dollars in fees for Freedom of Information (FOI) requests for governments and non profit agencies to tell us "news" that they don't want you the taxpayer to know. That they feel is none of your business.
Some of the FOI's we have been forced to file are 1.A copy of the 2015 Winter Games Bid telling us what the City has committed us to financially 2. Salary details for the new CEO of the Prince George Tourism Association, 3. The details surrounding the purchase of the Chances Gaming Centre property and the PG Hotel 4. BC Housing audit on the Metis Housing Authority 5. details of the Heller Report 6. Regional District Firefighter's Training Centre 7. Salary details for senior staff at City Hall.
As you can see the list is varied, but there is a common theme with all of them. Taxpayer funded organizations and non profits refusing to tell you how they are spending your money, or the details of controversial issues relating to their operations.
As for The Citizen, we will continue to fulfill one of the prime mandates of a newspaper in a democracy, which is to hold powerful institutions and individuals accountable by forcing them to tell us the "news".
