Provincial Court of NOVA SCOTIA says “No constitutional right of the media to the best image”

PROVINCIALCOURTOFNOVASCOTIASAYS“NOCONSTITUTI
ONALRIGHT
OFTHEMEDIATOTHEBESTIMAGES”

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDCLÉAIAVARONE-TURCOTTE*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

PRECIS:InHyde(Re)[2009NSPC34]theProvincialCourtofNovaScotiadismissedthe
applicationbytheCanadianBroadcastingCorporation(CBC)foraccesstothesurveillance
videoevidence.
ThismatterarisesfromanInquiryundertheFatalityInvestigationsAct,S.N.S.2001,c.31
intothedeathofprisonerHowardHyde,whodiedwhilehewasinthecustodyofthe
provincialcorrectionalservice.InthematterofHyde(Re)[2009NSPC34]theCanadian
BroadcastingCorporationappliedforanOrdertocopythevideosurveillanceexhibits
presentedattheInquiryforbroadcastpurposes.ThevideoCBCwasinterestedincamefrom
theHalifaxRegionalPoliceService(HRPS)andtheCentralNovaScotiaCorrectional
Facility(CNSCF).Thisfootage,storedonDVD’s,showedpoliceofficerstasering
and
strugglingwithMr.Hyde.Thisvideoplayedinthecourtroomonalargeflat-screen
television,andwascapturedbythecameraslivestreamingtheInquiryproceedings.Were
alsofilmedbythesamecameraswitnessescommentingonthevideowhileitwasbeing
viewed.Mediaoutlets,includingCBC,hadaccesstotheseimagesfromthelivestreaming.
CBCneverthelessallegedthatthisvideowasofpoorqualityand,thus,unsuitedtobroadcast.

TheBroadcastCorporationthereforerequestedtheauthorisationtoduplicatethehighly
newsworthyvideoinordertoprovidethepublicwithsuperiorqualityfootage.Accordingto
CBC,thiswouldenhancetheaudience’sactualunderstandingoftheproceedings.Indeed,
CBCsubmittedthattheOrdershouldbegrantedforthesakeof“openjustice”:itwould
“enabletheCorporationtoproperlydischargeitsconstitutionalrighttoreportonthe
Inquiry”;itwouldresultin“abetterpublicaccesstotheproceedings”.

Insupportofthesepretensions,theApplicantcitedtheSupremeCourtofCanadain
EdmontonJournalv.Alberta(AttorneyGeneral),[1989]2S.C.R.1326,wherethehighest
CanadianCourtheldthat“itisonlythroughthepressthatmostindividualscanreallylearnof

©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.CléaIavarone-Turcotteis
anArticlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-09-01issueofWorldMediaLawReport.
Publication328.071.

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whatistranspiringinthecourts.”Inotherwords,CBCcontendedthatitsmissionofpublic
informationbeingofcrucialimportance,itwasentitledtotheuseofthebestvisualspossible.
JusticeAnneS.Derrickdeniedtheapplicationprimarilybecausetodecideotherwisewould
havecompletelyunderminedadecisionsherenderedpreviously(HydeRe,[2009]N.S.J.No
308),adecisionbywhichsheprohibitedthedirectdownloadingofthevideosurveillance
evidencetotheinternet.TheJudgespokethesewords:
IamunabletoseehowCBC’srequesttoduplicatethevideosurveillance
DVD’sforbroadcastandpostingittoitswebsiteisanydifferentfromwhat
Ihavealreadyprohibited.Mydecisionprohibitingthedirectdownloadingof
thesurveillancevideoevidencetotheinternetwouldberendered
meaninglessifCBCwasabletocopytheDVD’sandpostthemtoits
website.Thiswould,ineffect,beadirectdownloadingtotheinternet,albeit
onthewebsiteofaresponsiblemediainstitution.Thefactthatthe
downloadingwouldbetotheCBCwebpagewouldnoteliminateanyofthe
concernsIarticulatedinmyearlierdecision.

Addressingtherightto“goodvisuals”allegedbyCBC,theCourtsettherecordstraightby
statingthat“thereisnoconstitutionalrightofthemediatotheclearestimages,whatmight
alsobetermed,thebest‘visuals’”.AccordingtoJusticeDerrick,themedia,despitethe
unquestionableimportanceoftheroletheyplayinsociety,arenotentitledtothesame
qualityofimageasisavailabletotheInquiry.TheJudgefoundthevideoaswasofsufficient
qualitytopermitCBCtofulfillitsmandateeffectively.Furthermore,theprocessoflive
streamingrenderedthemattersdiscussedintheInquiryevenmoreintelligibletothepublic,
asitprovidedtheaudiencewiththetestimoniesofthewitnessesheardinrelationtothevideo
surveillanceevidence.Thismeantadditionalexplanationsontheimagesseen,and,therefore,
bettergeneralunderstandingoftheirjudicialimplications.TheCourt,indecidingasitdid,
alsoputforwardthefactthatthedownloadingbyCBCofthevideosurveillanceevidenceto
itswebsitewouldexposethisvideotoan“unlimitedpotentialformanipulationonthe
internet.”
Forthesereasons,theJudgerefusedtointerpretthemedia’srighttocoverInquiriesinaway
thatwouldmeanthattheyshouldhaveaccesstothebestvisualimagestheycanobtain.

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