Reporting on the unspeakable

By Catherine Rolfsen
January 22, 2007

As the trial of Robert “Willie” Pickton begins today, Vancouver media are preparing for unprecedented ethical challenges in their coverage of a story which has garnered international attention and horror.

Organizations are planning how to report potentially graphic evidence related to the six counts of first-degree murder for which Pickton currently stands trial. Recently, three Vancouver news directors spoke with JournalismEthics.ca about the dilemmas they expect to encounter.

“It’s going to probably be one of the hardest cases to figure out what to say and what not to say that we’ve come across,” says Brett Ballah, coordinating producer for CBC Radio.

A central problem for media, according to Ballah, is balancing accuracy in reporting with sensitivity to audiences.

Preliminary hearings and jury selection, although veiled in publication bans, have indicated that evidence in the case will be emotionally disturbing. Now, with no overarching publication ban on the trial itself, many decisions of what to publish will be ethical, not legal.

News directors say editing out graphic content is not always the answer. In fact, the media’s role in ensuring public accountability of the justice system means court reporting often focuses on specific evidence. “A small little detail may actually prove or disprove the crown’s case,” explains Ballah. “Even if it’s an awful detail, it may be very important to either the crown or the defence.”

If media does their job right, the results of the trial shouldn’t surprise the public, says Harold Munro, deputy managing editor at The Vancouver Sun. “It’s difficult to sugar-coat that evidence, because people have to know what the jury is hearing in order to be satisfied that if he is convicted, he was convicted on evidence that was clear.”

Media organizations are devising ways to allow the public to choose how much they read, hear, or watch about the trial. Munro says for the first time in his career at The Vancouver Sun, he will likely run a warning above articles with graphic content.

In addition, he is planning to publish a daily “sanitized version of events” so everyone can stay informed of the key developments in the courtroom.

The problem is more complicated for wire services, which must anticipate the needs of diverse broadcast and print clients as well as online news readers. Katherine Bell, B.C. bureau chief for Canadian Press, says, “Historically, CP has tried to provide, in cases like this, something for an editor or a news director that anybody would run, and then something that might include more graphic material for stations with certain demographics to choose if they wish.”

Another major consideration for news directors is how to minimize the impact of coverage on family and friends of the 26 alleged victims, many of whom were sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The troubled neighbourhood is bracing for a media frenzy, with over 300 media, including European and British outlets, accredited to cover the trial.

Recently, advocacy groups pleaded with news agencies to stop using Pickton’s name for fear of conferring celebrity status on the accused.

“We understand that the media are disliked only slightly less than the police, or maybe slightly more,” reflects Bell of the Downtown Eastside. “None of our people are going to be going down there to shove a microphone in someone’s face who doesn’t want to be interviewed.”

Although she has empathy for the groups’ request, Bell says it just isn’t possible for mainstream news organizations to refrain from using Pickton’s name.

To avoid being part of a media circus, Bell says CP reporters have been cultivating long-term relationships with people on the Downtown Eastside in order to cover the more complex and human sides of the story.

“I think it’s important to all of us here that we try to make our own way on this, mindful of the fact that these are people who had real lives,” says Bell. “We need to feel a certain amount of integrity in what we’re doing.”

All three news directors have held several planning meetings about their coverage, but the common sentiment is that judgment calls will have to be made on a case-by-case basis as the trial progresses and evidence unfolds.

“The best thing we can do is put our experienced reporters on it and have them use their judgment,” says Ballah. “If something makes their stomach turn, they’re probably not going to repeat it.”

Over the course of the trial, which is expected to last a year, each media outlet will be making countless split decisions based on social responsibilities, the demands of audiences and gut instincts.

“I have to be able to sleep at night, and that’s what is going to lead our decision making,” says Ballah. “We each have to be able to sleep at night.”