Now, two Vancouver newspapers created a stir after they were forced to release numerous photos of the riots to the police. However, in a classic act of making the best of a bad situation, the papers made them public as well.
The Vancouver Sun and The Province posted a combined 5,481 photos of the riots online before turning them over to the police.
“We will reluctantly turn over the photos and videos to police, but remain concerned that the production order turns journalists into evidence gatherers for police,” said the Sun’s deputy manager Harold Munro in response to the situation. “Police should only make such demands on the media as a last resort. In this case, they have many thousands of photos and videos from the public that are still being reviewed.”
With over 100 arrests being made from the riots, it is possible that the number will jump now that these new photos are in police custody.
Both papers have asked that the evidence be destroyed once the investigation concludes.
