OTTAWA – A news report that aired the contents of personal letters did not violate any privacy provisions as that content was deemed in the public interest, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) has determined.
On December 30, 2016 during CityNews, CITY-DT provided an update on a story about a June 2016 house explosion in Mississauga, ON. The report included footage from that day’s press conference at which fire and police investigators revealed their findings that the cause of the explosion was a natural gas leak, purposely set by the home's two residents, to commit a double suicide.
Numerous surrounding properties had been damaged and families displaced. The report mentioned, and showed on screen, handwritten letters that had been strewn around the neighbourhood in the blast. The letters, apparently written by the two residents, detailed their health and financial problems, and pleaded for help from God.
A viewer complained that showing the letters violated the couple’s privacy. The broadcaster argued that there was an overriding public interest because they provided insight into the motivations for causing the explosion.
The CBSC’s English-Language Panel examined the complaint under the RTDNA Code of Journalistic Ethics which prohibits infringement of privacy unless there is an overriding public interest. The Panel agreed with the station, finding that the display of the letters was newsworthy and in the public interest because an entire neighbourhood had been affected, and the letters shed some light on the reasons for the intentional explosion.
