Why 24 hours didn't publish e-mail evidence
By BILL TIELEMAN, 24 HOURS POLITICAL COLUMNIST
In March, I obtained a controversial e-mail between some of the key Crown witnesses in the trial of former provincial government aides David Basi, Bob Virk and Aneal Basi.
The August 2003 e-mail was a discussion between Pilothouse Public Affairs lobby firm partners Brian Kieran, Erik Bornmann and Jamie Elmhirst about Paul Taylor, then-deputy minister of finance to then-Finance Minister Gary Collins.
After interviewing Kieran and Taylor to determine the authenticity of the e-mail, 24 hours and its legal counsel decided not to publish a story detailing the contents of the e-mail.
24 hours' concern was that the e-mail could be evidence in the Basi-Virk trial that began yesterday.
Subsequently the Globe and Mail newspaper obtained the e-mail and ran a story on it March 30.
Consulting firm KPMG has been hired to conduct an independent review regarding the e-mail's content.
24 hours was recently contacted by the RCMP and informed of an investigation based on a complaint received.
24 hours has declined to reveal the origin of the e-mail, citing journalistic principles of confidentiality and protecting our sources.
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1 comment:
You exhibited more dignity and respect for the process than Brian Kieran ever displayed. I would have written about the email. I still want somebody to tell me how lobbyists who according to court documents had admitted to serious criminal offences were able to continue to lobby the government with impunity!! Is there an offence more serious than allegedly bribing public officials? This makes a mockery of this much ballyhooed Lobbyist Registrar!!
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