Daniel Leblanc may end up in jail

[viper37]

Daniel Leblanc is the journalist who uncovered the sponsorship scandal.  He was ordered by a judge to reveal his confidential source, someone called "Ma Chouette".
He doesn't want to.

So, the judge will likely sentence him to serve time in jail.  A shame really.  I thought confidentiality of a journalist' sources would be protected, but it ain't.

The Gazette

[Admiral Yi]

  There goes Canada's press freedom score.

[Barrister]

Just do what the judge says and nobody needs to go to jail.

[Jacob]

Just do what the judge says and nobody needs to go to jail.

Not good enough.

[dps]

Daniel Leblanc is the journalist who uncovered the sponsorship scandal.  He was ordered by a judge to reveal his confidential source, someone called "Ma Chouette".
He doesn't want to.

So, the judge will likely sentence him to serve time in jail.  A shame really.  I thought confidentiality of a journalist' sources would be protected, but it ain't.

The Gazette

The confidentiality of journalistic sources absolutely should not be protected.  Journalists who argue for it are a bunch of hypocrits--demand the truth and transparancy from everyone else but don't feel it should apply to them.

[Neil]

Just do what the judge says and nobody needs to go to jail.

Indeed.

[garbon]

The confidentiality of journalistic sources absolutely should not be protected.  Journalists who argue for it are a bunch of hypocrits--demand the truth and transparancy from everyone else but don't feel it should apply to them.

Well, it is often how they get people to give them information...

[DontSayBanana]

The confidentiality of journalistic sources absolutely should not be protected.  Journalists who argue for it are a bunch of hypocrits--demand the truth and transparancy from everyone else but don't feel it should apply to them.

Police informants also get shielded from scrutiny, often for reasons of safety, though, and nobody cries foul about that. I suppose a judge could insist that the source be named to them and then placed in a sealed court record if it was sensitive information, but I wouldn't want to be the one asking for a violation of journalistic integrity.

[The Brain]

journalistic integrity.

LOL

[Martinus]

Just do what the judge says and nobody needs to go to jail.

I hope you are kidding.

[Martinus]

By comparison, a situation like this could not happen in Poland.

Here the secrecy of journalist's sources is protected with very limited exceptions, which concern knowledge of actual plans to commit certain very serious crimes (war crimes, treason, assault on the head of state, army sabotage, murder, terrorist attack and taking hostages).

[viper37]

The confidentiality of journalistic sources absolutely should not be protected.  Journalists who argue for it are a bunch of hypocrits--demand the truth and transparancy from everyone else but don't feel it should apply to them.

I disagree.  I believe it should be the same as for lawyers, you can't force a lawyer to reveal what his client said, unless there is imminent danger.

In this case, the informant will be persecuted by the government for releasing the info about that massive corruption scandal.

In the case of the FTQ (biggest union in Quebec) stories, some informant risk their lives for talking.  The one who did it openly had to be under police protection for a while.

Without that protection, there would be no investigative journalism at all, wich would be a pity as there is already not enough of that.

EDIT: reading Marty's post, yeah, I think that would be wise here, do not protect the source if it's involved in a serious crime, but in this case, it's only so one of the companies can get away with its crime or overcharging the government, i.e. billing twice for the same work.

[Neil]

By comparison, a situation like this could not happen in Poland.

Here the secrecy of journalist's sources is protected with very limited exceptions, which concern knowledge of actual plans to commit certain very serious crimes (war crimes, treason, assault on the head of state, army sabotage, murder, terrorist attack and taking hostages).

And Poland is a failed state, with perhaps the most backwards legal system in the world.

[jimmy olsen]

Daniel Leblanc is the journalist who uncovered the sponsorship scandal.  He was ordered by a judge to reveal his confidential source, someone called "Ma Chouette".
He doesn't want to.

So, the judge will likely sentence him to serve time in jail.  A shame really.  I thought confidentiality of a journalist' sources would be protected, but it ain't.

The Gazette

How long can he be incarcerated for this?

[Neil]

Daniel Leblanc is the journalist who uncovered the sponsorship scandal.  He was ordered by a judge to reveal his confidential source, someone called "Ma Chouette".
He doesn't want to.

So, the judge will likely sentence him to serve time in jail.  A shame really.  I thought confidentiality of a journalist' sources would be protected, but it ain't.

The Gazette

How long can he be incarcerated for this?

Indefinitely.  If the judge chooses, he can apply a penalty of life in prison, or even death.