“We have to fight this because it goes against basic journalistic freedom and the need to protect our sources,” Kastner toldearlier this year. “If talking to doc makers and journalists becomes synonymous to talking to police, no one would ever talk to us.”
Kastner’s crusade against the OPP production order has received the support of the Canadian Association of Journalists , which said in March that it “strongly condemns” police actions in the case. “Journalists and documentary filmmakers are not agents of the police and should never be forced to turn over interviews or source material,” said Brent Jolly, president of the CAJ.
“If people believe being interviewed by a journalist is equivalent to giving a police statement, confidence in journalism will be dramatically eroded,” he said. Ontario authorities carried out a 2.5-year investigation into the case, involving more than 90 police officers over multiple jurisdictions. They’re believed to have taken 271 statements — dwarfing the 17 interviews Kastner completed for the film, and prompting questions as to why police require documentary material given the vast testimony they’ve gathered themselves.
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