To the Editorial Desk:

I just wanted to say: Bravo.  That was an excellent article.

I am so happy and relieved a journalist finally addressed the disturbing issues involved in the self-censorship of the Can. news community (tv, Internet, print media).  I want to know what is happening, and more importantly, the public has a right to that access, and the media have an obligation to provide it.  

People have a choice to avoid reading or watching, but for news media to condescendingly make the decision for me about what I can and can't know about the trial proceedings (when it is NOT under a publication ban as was the voir dire) is truly obscene.  

What those women went through should not be further ignored, as it has been for far too many years.  We, the public, need to keep the legal and judicial systems honest by paying attention to what happens, especially in such an historic case.

I have been aware of the missing women since 1989 from the advocacy of the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, who were circulating posters amongst women's groups and others to raise the issue and have a police investigation begin.  I have read about the lives of many of the missing women (http://www.missingpeople.net/ ) year ago, and am incredibly relieved that evidence has been found and someone is being tried. There were so many failures involved from so many directions.  I want to know what happened, what was found, and ultimately, I hope everyone learns things from the trial, e.g. how to avoid this every happening again.

Thank you for your intelligent, incisive, and brave article.


Kristin Schoonover, MLIS, BA (Adv.)

University of Saskatchewan

Editor's Note: the website link supplied by Ms. Schoonover is a comprehensive accounting of the Vancouver Downtown Eastside missing and murdered women. The site authors present each profile as a woman, daughter, sibling or friend. They do not dehumanize the women as "prostitutes" and "addicts", a tactic embraced by the main stream media. /ed