Canada: Newspaper editors charged over photo of Aziga complainant

The publisher and two editors of The Hamilton Spectator were charged yesterday with breaching a publication ban by publishing the photo of one of the complainants in their coverage of the murder trial of Johnson Aziga.

According to a report in today's National Post, publisher, Dana Robbins, editor-in-chief, David Estok, and managing editor, Jim Poling, along with The Hamilton Spectator "as a corporate entity" have been charged on two counts of breaching a publication ban for publishing, at some point during coverage of the trial

a picture taken by a long-time staff photographer with a caption that included the words: "A woman, on right, who was infected by Aziga."

Mr Estok maintains they did nothing wrong.

"We would never knowingly violate a publication ban protecting a victim of a crime," said David Estok, the newspaper's editor-in-chief. "We satisfied ourselves at the time that the photo in question did not identify anyone," he said. "And after subsequent review we are still of that view."

Police say "the complaint did not come from the court but declined to release further details." They say they want to protect the woman from further intrusion into her private life.

All three will appear in court on November 6th.