Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the daily newspaper in my riding, the St. Catharines Standard , on its editorial calling for the media to examine the moral question of how visual evidence should be reported at the Paul Bernardo trial.
The editorial states:
Does the public have a right to know every single detail of evidence that will be presented during the trial? In principle, in defence of freedom of the press, the answer must be yes. But does the public need to know every gory detail? The answer surely is no, so long as the public is assured that such evidence has been seen and weighed by the judge and the jury of 12 who will represent us all in deciding the case.
While the media may have an obligation to inform the public, there is surely also a duty to respect the dignity of the victims and of the victims' family, neighbours and friends.
Canadians must ensure that the media coverage is handled in an appropriate and respectful way; in short, in a Canadian way.