The Globe and Mail stood by its coverage of the Jian Ghomeshi trial as newsworthy and fair, public editor Sylvia Stead explained in recent post.
Ghomeshi was fired from Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in 2014 after allegations of sexual assault, as iMediaEthics previously reported. He was charged in 2014 with four counts of Sexual Assault and one count of Overcome Resistance-Choking.
“I think that coverage was warranted and necessary because this trial was more than one man accused of sexual assault,” Stead wrote. “It became a detailed look at sexual assault in general and how the court system deals with these allegations.”
“There continues to be massive interest in the Ghomeshi case in part as I have said before because it is as much about the larger issue of sexual assault as it is this one particular trial,” Stead explained.
The trial against Ghomeshi is over. Judge William Horkins will reveal his decision next month, the CBC says. Stead noted that there is no jury.
iMediaEthics has written to Ghomeshi’s attorneys for comment.