The media are essential to building people’s confidence in the legal system, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin told a packed room at Carleton, Jan. 31.
McLachlin’s address in Carleton’s brand new River Building focused on the court’s relationship with the media as part of the law department’s Chet Mitchell Memorial Lecture Series.
Considered by many as one of the most powerful people in Canada, McLachlin is the first woman ever to serve as the chief justice of Canada.
In her address, McLachlin emphasized the role of the media when it comes to reassuring the public that they enjoy the full confidence of the judiciary system.
“[The media] has the unique ability to inform the public as to legal proceedings and the administration of justice which is essential for building confidence,” she said.
“The media needs to report, not uncritically, but accurately, so that the public knows what kind of judiciary it has, and it can have confidence in it.”
She praised the media for carrying that task out successfully more often than not and said that unfair press coverage in Canada is rare because of the lofty standards of journalism.
“We would be naïve not to acknowledge that occasionally, and I’m happy to say that in Canada it is very occasionally incomplete, distorted, or one-sided press coverage can cause lasting damage,” McLachlin said.
“Fortunately, the high standards of journalistic ethics which we enjoy in Canada make such incidents rare.”
McLachlin urged citizens to get involved with the legal system and check out their local courthouses, reminding them that courts are public property.
“Our courts are open but how many of you have taken the time to go down to the court on Elgin Street or the Supreme Court of Canada?” she asked the crowd.
She also warned of the growing dangers of citizen journalism, and said while some citizen journalists do provide insightful views, others fall desperately short of journalistic standards.
“The explosive growth of new media signals a shift on who reports on legal proceedings,” McLachlin said. “Court decisions may no longer be the preserve of trained, professional journalists — anyone with a keyboard and access to a blog can now be a reporter.”
“Will accuracy and fairness be causalities of the social media era?”
The use of social media in courts was also brought under the scanner by McLachlin, who joked about judges tweeting while they passed their verdicts.
Third-year law student Sunny Cohen said the event was a great chance for him to see the most influential figure in the Canadian justice system.
“As a legal studies student, it was great to have the opportunity to listen to somebody like the chief justice talk about the substantive issues we discuss in class,” Cohen said. “It’s nice to see her outside of the ivory towers, just on the basis of talking to us as students. It’s just a great opportunity for students and something we can gain a lot out of.”
