A promise to listen and learn in our commitment to reconciliation – Winnipeg Free Press

I was at 30,000 feet on my way to Kamloops last Friday when Cathy Merrick collapsed on the courthouse steps. She spent her final breaths as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Chiefs of Manitoba denouncing injustice in our province.

When I turned off airplane mode on my iPhone after landing, I was immediately informed of the update on her tragic death; breaking news coverage was already in full swing in our newsroom in Winnipeg.

I was on the phone with senior editors in the newsroom. We were making adjustments to our ongoing coverage. And there were angry voicemails and emails from people who didn't like the way the Free Press announced the news of her death.

Newsrooms often rely on precedent in their decision-making.

In the case of the death of a leading public figure – honoured today with the laying in state beneath the Golden Boy – our coverage on Friday, which included a photograph capturing this significant moment in our province's history, recalled many similar pages in our history.

And yet…

On Sunday, I passed the Kamloops Indian Residential School on my way back to the airport. It's impossible to see this imposing brick building without thinking about what the ground-penetrating radar discovered there, confronting Canada's failures towards Indigenous peoples and recognizing the importance of reconciliation.

On Monday, after further conversations, further reflection and valuable input from our Indigenous issues columnist Niigaan Sinclair, we removed the photo of Merrick, which had caused concern to many, from our online platforms.

On Tuesday, Niigaan and I co-wrote an article that we shared with all of our readers on all of our platforms. In today's newsletter, I'm sharing it with you because it's what was needed and expected from a newspaper published on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis since 1872.

The tragic death of Cathy Merrick on Friday on the steps of the Winnipeg courthouse – while serving as Grand Chief of the Assembly of Chiefs of Manitoba – sent shockwaves that reverberated far beyond our province.

In a momentous and remarkable moment in our history, her sudden death was literally in service to Indigenous people as she spoke to reporters about two important court decisions: the acquittal of Correctional Officer Robert Jeffrey Morden in the 2021 death of Indigenous inmate William Ahmo and the approval of a $530 million compensation award for First Nations children in care.

The Free Press joins all Manitobans – and in particular members of the Assembly of Chiefs of Manitoba, the Pimicikamak Cree Nation and the Merrick family – in mourning the passing of a remarkable and respected leader.

Reporting on the severity and far-reaching impact of this event has been a central focus of our newsroom since Friday.

The focus of this column is to address the concerns raised by that reporting, and it is new territory for us as it is co-written by the Free Press editor and its award-winning Indigenous columnist.

The Free Press broke the news of Merrick's death and subsequently published tributes, interviews, and information on numerous events that highlighted the significance of her passing.

We drew on the insights and community connections in the writings of our Indigenous columnist, who celebrated Merrick's legacy and his own experiences with her, describing her as “a brilliant, ethical and strong leader. An Ogimaa. A Chief. A Grand Chief.”

As the oldest newspaper in Western Canada, the Free Press is fully aware of the importance of this moment in the history of our province.

Our coverage included a photo showing the rush of medical aid to the Grand Chief in what were believed to be her final moments of life.

A picture is worth a thousand words, but in this case, many of the words we heard described it as disrespectful, traumatizing and dishonorable.

We heard those words and acted on them, first by changing the presentation of our online coverage and then by reducing the prominence of the image in our subsequent print edition.

However, we did not follow the advice of our Indigenous columnist and did not remove the photo.

According to the Canadian Journalists Association's ethical guidelines, news organizations must report factually and in a timely manner, “never distort the content of news photos or videos,” “be complete and provide context when photographing or recording subjects,” and “treat all subjects with respect and dignity.”

Regarding “respect and dignity,” the guidelines further advise: “Give special attention to vulnerable people and show compassion to victims of crime or tragedy. Intrude into private moments of grief only when the public has an overriding and legitimate interest in doing so.”

Based on these guidelines, the coverage of the Grand Chief's sudden death on the steps of the courthouse was absolutely newsworthy.

To ensure Manitoba residents have quick access to trusted information, we have activated resources inside and outside our newsroom.

We were the first to publish the news, including two photos from that day: one of Merrick speaking to reporters just before she collapsed, and one after she collapsed. The photo does not show her face, but it shows the shock of onlookers and the rush of those desperately trying to save her.

A serious and worthwhile debate revolves around the definitions of respect and dignity and the “overriding and legitimate need of the public to see” – what the Free Press has been learning since he became our province's news anchor in 1872 – and continues to learn.

The editors, authors, reporters and photographers of Free Press We are well aware that the information may sometimes be perceived as outrageous – even inflammatory. We take this responsibility seriously.

It was never our intention to add to the pain already felt by the indigenous community as a result of recent shocking events.

Over the weekend, we again consulted Indigenous voices inside and outside our newsroom, rethinking the conditions for reconciliation – particularly our community's experiences of ongoing violence against Indigenous women.

And to the extent that it can contribute to healing, we have ensured that the photojournalism that became such a flashpoint is no longer part of our coverage of this story.

Our sincere apologies to those who were shocked and traumatized by the photo.

Those who think we have taken a step backwards in our efforts to achieve reconciliation can be assured that we are committed to improving, working more closely together and listening more.

The Free Pressstrives, as always, to be a newspaper for all Manitoba residents.