RCMP may let reporter see behind scenes of fed investigation
Posted April 19, 2012 11:09 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A PR stunt or insight for the public? Mounties are looking at bringing a journalist behind the scenes of a federal investigation.
“If they do it once, it’s a PR stunt,” explains media expert George Orr. “If this is a process by which they finally decide the culture is going to change — [that they] want to be seen to do whatever they do, good or bad, I think it’s a great idea.”
But he has his concerns. “It really depends on what case they pick and how it works and how it unfolds.”
“Say they do a splendid job; they arrest the bad guys, the bad guys go to jail, it’s all told and it’s a great story. People will get a sense of how that works,” he suggests.
“Say it goes sideways and something terrible happens, which could happen,” Orr continues. “My understanding of these sorts of things… is they won’t censor the work. If they censor the work, that will blow up in their face.”
Orr says for a long time, Americans have had insight into policing south of the border and it’s about time it happens here.
He doesn’t think reporters will shy away from the truth. “I don’t think they’ll find a journalist who will be completely beguiled by policing. I think they will find good journalists who will tell good stories.”
The chosen reporter may attend briefings, observe surveillance and enforcement activities, and access the investigation from the start through to the end of the court process.
