There may be newspaper reporters in the courtroom during the trial. 

• They may stay for a few minutes or for a longer period of time, depending on who is testifying. 

• They may come and go several times during the day as they sit in on different trials in various courtrooms. 

• They may not appear in court for several days and then show up for a key witness. 

• They may speak directly to the Crown attorney or defence lawyer during recesses to find out the schedule of witnesses or how the trial is proceeding. 

You may be offended by the information that they choose to write up in the newspaper. It may seem to you that it is the “sensational,” attention-grabbing parts of the trial that they select.

You don’t have to read the newspaper articles about the trial and the events surrounding the murder. However, you may want to ask a friend to clip out any related articles and save them for the future so that you will have these written public accounts.

Mennonite Central Committee Canada. (2011). Getting through the maze: A guidebook for survivors of homicide.