RTDNA Canada, a group of broadcast and other electronic journalists, is opposing a new policy by the RCMP to no longer release the names of victims of crime.
Although the RCMP used to regularly release the names of victims, the police force recently changed its policy. Now, it will only release names when the information is already publicly available or it believes that the disclosure would help to further an investigation or be in the individual’s interest, according to news reports.
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The RCMP says that its new policy follows the Privacy Act.
In a press release, RTDNA Canada president Ian Koenigsfest said, “We believe that the release of names of major crime and fatal accident victims is in the public interest and should not be unreasonably withheld.”
The organization said that journalists frequently rely on the RCMP to release and verify names. Not having that verified sources could lead to confusion and misinformation, it said. “In the absence of such credible sources, erroneous information often shared in social media and neighbourhood gossip could remain unchecked in public discourse.”
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