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1. First off, let me get my head around your arrest at the Reaching
Atlantica business conference in St. John. What I’ve seen and read to date tells a tale of your arrest, plus the arrest of 2 others. Now, these other two were protestors, you were not, am I correct in saying you were standing with the media, taking pictures for your blog? So, from your point of view, why were you arrested?
I was told of Atlantica in Saint John weeks before June 9th.
I attended meetings prior to the conference. What I find funny is there was a peaceful protest - Immigrants without Boarders.
This was a day of protest across Canada.
The Fredericton Police Force stop the Protesters on the streets. I took pictures and went home.
I learned afterwards that the police arrested some protesters in front of City Hall.
Someone took pictures of the arrest. < I might add he’s going on trial in February for taking pictures >
Anyway, I posted the pictures on my Blog site and CTV News took them and made a story. It was news all around the Country.
If it wasn’t for those pictures? The news would have never gotten out.
The days of begging the media to be there as witnesses are over. With cell phones and cameras? The Police must understand they have to be careful there days.
Two weeks later, I was arrested in Saint John.
These two Police Force belong to the same Union therefore telling me there’s a connection between the two.
I already made a complaint and I want a Public Inquiry on this issue.
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2. Do you believe police acted overzealous in your arrest?
Sure they did!!!!
1- John Parks arrested me and pushed me against the wall
2- He could have said - Put your arms behind your back!
3- He walked me 30 feet and three other officers jumped on me to handcuff me.
4- They paraded me inside in front of all the delegates while the two other were escorted out of the front door.
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3. You’re currently on trial for obstructing justice. What justice did you
obstruct that day?
Firstly, I was told that I will have to represent myself. Legal Aid will not cover me for a lawyer. I found this very odd.
I told the judge that I didn’t understand the charges?
He told me that I will get a French trial but I said- French or English? I don’t understand the reason I’m charge for obstruction?
To this day? I still don’t know. From what I’m told? John Parks will say that I push him!
My answer- I may be crazy but I’m not stupid!!!
Pushing a cop??? There were more than a dozen protesters with masks pushing the Police officers but only three were charge and I was one of them.
Strange eh???
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4. When does your trial resume?
Short answer - November 20th!!!!
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5. What is your main defense during your trail and why?
My main defense? Thank God Harold Doherty step forward to help me!!!!
I still don’t know but one thing is certain.
The day that I was arrested? I took over 150 pictures and the Saint John Police Force deleted all my pictures.
They admit in the disclosure that they delete one picture. But all the pictures were gone.
They deleted the evidence and maybe this is a new style in the Police World???
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6. Is “freedom of the press” having a positive, negative, or any outcome on your trial?
Freedom of the press will be very important in this trial because the Irvings bought all the newspapers in this Province. I appeared in front of the Senate voicing my concern on this issue. < You can read the Transcript on the main page on my blog. >
What’s going to happen here is that if there’s an accident or a protest like this one?
A New Brunswicker will not be allowed to take pictures.
Since The Irvings owns all the newspapers? You will have to phone an Irving Employee.
An Irving Photographer will come to take pictures. Pretty scary eh???
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7. Why should freedom of the press extend to you?
Why not? I’m a New Brunswicker with a opinion. I might add that during the last 15 years, I wrote around 500 letters to the Editor in the Irving papers.
All this came to an end when the Irvings gave the orders not to print my letters so I turned to blogging.
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8. In your opinion, why should you be considered a professional journalist
even though you do not work for a media outlet?
The Irvings will not hire me!!!! I rest my case!!!...lol
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9. Kate Morrison, editor for the Mile Zero News, in Grimshaw, Alberta has been closely following your case as well. She says the skills of a
journalist are a special set-dedication, hard work, ethical standards,
intelligence, compassion, an intuition for what’s going to happen, ability to write, a people person, developing trust among sources and story subjects, and the list goes on and on. When you read this, what are your thoughts? As a blogger, can you compare yourself to these skills?
I call myself a very good professional. You wouldn’t believe the high profile people trusting me with their views on a off the record standard.
I have never broken that trust and this is very important.
Yes, I might come out strong sometime especially against the Irvings but what else can I do?
Nothing!
I used to be a regular on the Rogers Television Talk shows until someone gave the orders not to take my calls any longer!
Someone with great power stop my letters to the editor and than the open talk shows?
The question is why? I have never cross the line when it comes to trust and MLA’S know this!
I feel safe to say that many people trust me with their stories and this is very important for a journalist.
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10. Why is blogging real journalism?
Real? Maybe it’s because once I blogged a story and the comments comes in minutes later.
As for the Irving’s papers? You have to wait for over one week and often a letter against the Irving’s interest will not be printed.
I will say that I post 99% of the comments. I began to moderate the comment section because people were getting very nasty!!!
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11. Is blogging journalism if it doesn’t follow the same steps (editing
process, peer review) as professional journalism?
As you can see by my poor grammar? I’m not a real Journalist!!...lol.....
Yes, I should have more pride in my work but I don’t!!!
It’s a darn shame but then again people are used to my style of writing and they take the time to understand what my message is all about.
This is the reason I like the pictures because I don’t have to write as much!!!!...lol
Many readers like it that way!!!...lol
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12. Journalists follow a code of ethics, should bloggers follow the same
code?
What code would that be now???? Did you know that a journalist has to graduate from the Irving journalism class in Fredericton and Moncton?
The Irvings have donated One Million dollars to train these journalists.
Once they get a job? Do you think they will write a critical story of the Irvings?
Of course not because they will be force to leave the Province or turn to Blogging which don’t pay any money!
The only code that I’m following is trying to be nice.
I arrange a meeting and if I don’t get my way? I blog it!!!
Read the blogs of the New Brunswick Human Rights Commission! I’m heading for a huge war of words with those people during the next few months!!!!
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13. Currently there really is no real way to distinguish between a
professional journalist and the average jo, other than the fact that you
work for a media company. This is how the definition is demarcated at present. Do we need a law or rule, something that separates the blogger from the professional journalist?
Nahhhhha....all you need is the word trust.
Myself, I have lots of enemies out there and often I believe that my life is in danger but this is New brunswick??? The Irvings or the Premier don’t walk around with bodyguards so why should I worry??? ..lol My enemies would just wish that I would go away but I won’t!
I love Fredericton! I’m here forever and I will continue blogging till the end of time!!!
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14. How does your trial test the argument: is blogging journalism?
The bottom line here is that the Irvings own all the newspapers in this Province and the citizens are not allowed to write letters to the Editor against the Irvings.
Journalism is at stake in this trial.
This will set up a precedent how independent journalists will be treated by our local Police Force. Are this allowed to delete pictures from any citizens?
Stay tuned!!!!
6 comments:
I don't know who the above questions are from but a couple of corrections are in order.
As for journalism, journalist articles are NOT PEER REVIEWED. They are approved or disapproved by an editor that's it.
Peer reviewed refers to journal articles, most obvious in scientific journals where peers evaluate the work to ensure it stands up to some specified state of objectivity.
In reality, the only two differences are working for a company and that companies interference in the person of the editor.
So in this way blogging is of course not journalism, it possesses the ability to be FAR more objective than corporate media.
I wouldn't put Charles in there, sorry Charles but there are simply too many incidents of name calling, clear violations of individuals rights. However, you can look all over the globe and see participatory journalism taking root. Often they are not 'stories', but blogged incidents, like the recent murder of the journalist in Mexico.
This is why the media fears it, however, so far it has been marginally contained. Charles only gets maybe a thousand hits a week, that simply can't compare to the massive propaganda of the Irving Press. Hopefully that will change as more people get involved in participatory journalism and covering events.
Good point but I get over 2,000 hits per week.
I come to the site sometimes two or three times a day. Even if every hit was a different person 2000 in a week in a population of a quarter of a million people is insignificant. The Irvings reach tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands.
Charles:
An other question from BC. Est-ce que la SRC de l'Atlantique a couvert "ta" nouvelle? Sinon, any idea why not?
Ouelle dâne!
Réjean
Actually Charles, there were 3 people arrested that day and only one was a protestor. There was one guy who had a media pass (he was from a student newspaper in halifax) and he got arrested for asking too many questions. Poor guy.
Charles,
I would like to CLARIFY for the fellow who posted the comment about PEER
REVIEW (all in caps). And for those of you outside of the wonderful world of
journalism; the editing process refered to is nothing but a glorified way of
saying peer review. Peer meaning those around you, your editor is also your
peer, and he is reviewing your material thus editing it. That's about the
gist of it... REALLY!
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