In Thunder Bay, Court Reporting Is Quietly Disappearing | The Walrus

In 2022, two local drag performers received messages about a hateful Facebook post that falsely claimed drag queens had been criminally charged with child pornography. The post used their headshots from a library drag queen storytime poster and suggested grooming, while presenting an image of the courthouse to imply official status. The performers initially considered ignoring the content. The incident showed how limited local news coverage can increase reliance on social media for information. Canada has lost many local news outlets, and court coverage has declined nationally. When responsible journalism is absent, false information about court proceedings can spread and affect community understanding and safety.

"“Apparently, our City Council is completely unaware of local drag queens who have been criminally charged with child pornography,” the post read. “Don't ask yourself why drag queens need an audience of children. The answer might involve the word 'GROOMING.'” The page featured an image of the city's imposing courthouse, suggesting official status, and it had 6,500 followers."

"Court reporting is critical to upholding due process and the presumption of innocence. Canada has lost 566 local news outlets in less than twenty years, and court coverage has dropped 30 percent nationally. In the absence of responsible journalism, there is a risk that false information about court proceedings will spread on social media."

"Thunder Bay is a mid-sized city of just over 100,000 people, but it can feel like a small town. The Thunder Bay region is also considered an area of news poverty. Its one daily newspaper, the Chronicle-Journal, currently has four reporters tasked with bringing local news to sixty communities over 1,200 square kilometres."

"The small local CBC station and Dougall Media, one of Canada's few remaining independent media companies, cover an area that's larger than France: from White River in the northeast to the Manitoba border, and from the northern shore of Lake Superior all the way up to Hudson Bay. Social media ends up being an important source of local news; Crichton's son came home from kindergarten asking what “groom"

Read at The Walrus