What role does the press play in the investigation and prosecution of criminal charges?

Ontario, Canada


The following excerpt is from R. v. The National Post, 2008 ONCA 139 (CanLII):

We do not diminish the press' important role in uncovering and reporting an alleged wrongdoing. But in our society it is the police who are charged with the crucial role of investigating and prosecuting crime. And, to paraphrase what White J. said in Branzburg v. Hayes at p. 692, it is not necessarily better to write about crime than to do something about it.

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