VicPD asks Black Press to take down story critical of police
After listening to Alex de Boer’s piece — that “a news report that took a Wet'suwet'en solidarity action seriously was radically changed without explanation to favour Victoria police” — I FOI’d VicPD. Email highlights:
VicPD was angry about Black Press “single source” story and asked them to take it down.
After the podcast came out, Mayor Helps contacted the Police Complaint Commissioner.
Background from Canadaland reporting: On February 1, 2020, Black Press ran a piece on VicPD’s violent arrests of Indigenous youth at the Wet’suwet’en solidarity sit-in at the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
On February 3, according to Canadaland’s reporting, Chief Manak “reamed out [the Black Press] publisher” at a hockey game and “threatened to blacklist Black Press” if the article wasn’t changed. The article was taken down, edited, and republished with a statement from Manak added criticizing “misinformation.”
According to VicPD emails, on Feb 2, Mark MacIntyre, Director of Community Engagement, had emailed the journalist. “When did your organization begin to publish single source articles…?” “To whom can I speak today to ask that this article be taken down from your website?”
Regarding VicPD’s complaint about “single source” reporting, I counted 27 VicNews stories from January 2020 where VicPD/VicPD releases appear to be the only source. I doubt VicPD’s PR team had any complaints about those. Canadaland’s reporting gets into that as well.
Less than 40 minutes after MacIntyre emailed the reporter, he emailed the Greater Victoria Black Press Bureau Chief and Assistant Bureau Chief to say the article was a “departure from Black Press’s standards (in our view)” and they would appreciate a response that day.
VicPD’s Bowen Osoko, also on their public relations team, was following up through Twitter.
Black Press responded to MacIntyre that the story was a profile piece. They offered to have their reporter interview Manak to add to the story, or to run a response from VicPD.
MacIntyre said profiles were “of significant concern.” “Can anyone’s unsubstantiated claims be reprinted…without the journalistic rigour you normally apply?” [CC: 27 stories in January 2020 with VicPD as source] He forwarded to Manak saying “The latest,” suggesting he was in the loop.
Later that day, as we know from Canadaland and Alex de Boer, Chief Manak “reamed out” the Black Press publisher at a hockey game over the article and threatened to blacklist them, after which the article was taken down and edited before being republished, favouring VicPD.
Helps later gave Manak a venue at the February 18 police board meeting to talk about VicPD’s actions at the sit-in and the Legislature. He complained about “profanity and swearing.” He also said VicPD uses “reasonable force.”
There was no opportunity for public comment at that meeting, so Manak’s narrative went unchallenged; however, those arrested had filed complaints with the Police Complaint Commissioner about VicPD’s actions.
After Canadaland’s podcast in July 2021, Mayor Lisa Helps emailed the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner, for the attention of the Commissioner “as you see fit.” She cc’d Chief Manak and said he could “provide further context as needed.”
What context? That VicPD was angry about reporting and tried multiple venues — email, Twitter, phone, and reaming out a publisher at a hockey game — to get the article changed or taken down?
The next day, Mayor Helps received an email from Councillor Loveday asking if the police board or VicPD had a comment. Helps emailed Manak, Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, and VicPD Communications Director Mark MacIntyre to say “I think we are going to need to address this.”
What Mayor Helps meant by “address this” is not clear, as I’m not aware of any public reckoning, and it’s also interesting to me that her instinct was to loop in VicPD’s communications department. MacIntyre told Manak privately he was “happy to discuss” before he replied.
The police board says it can’t review police conduct and complaints should go to the Commissioner. It’s unlikely much will come from Helps’s email, but Manak's actions could show up in the Commissioner’s next report.
VicPD is used to dominating the local media narrative and being the only one with a platform on any issue that might touch on policing. VicPD budgeted at least $594,000 in public money to use on public relations in 2020, and they churned out more than a press release a day.
When Black Press reported an Indigenous woman’s story of VicPD violence and bullying, VicPD went into overdrive to get it taken down. The consequences to VicPD for their actions at the sit-in, and their subsequent behaviour towards the media, appear to have been zero. So far.