A Hamilton Spectator reporter will appear in court this afternoon on contempt of court charges.
He could be fined or jailed.

No reporter in Canadian history has ever been jailed for refusing to reveal their sources. Ken Peters is understandably scared, but refuses to budge.

“It’s not something where I’d like to make history,” Peters told CP. “I’m not certainly looking forward to a period of incarceration, but if that’s what it has to be, that’s what it has to be.”

The case arose last week, when Superior Court Justice David Crane cited Peters for contempt after he refused to name people he admits were at a 1995 meeting where he obtained the documents.

Despite the judge’s ruling, that the promise of confidentiality Peters made at the time did not extend to a second person at the meeting, the 45-year-old reporter wouldn’t budge.

Even though he faces the prospect of a prison sentence, Peters maintains that protecting sources is of paramount importance for journalists.

He wrote a series of articles on abuses in a retirement home. The home had been criticised for violations prior to them being made public.

Although the municipality ordered the home to comply with by-laws, the organization is suing the city and officials for defamation, negligence and breach of public office.

Hey, he could name the second person, the lawyers for the villa are publically speculating who it is. Reporters face blustering and threats often. This is a personal choice for Peters, and says a lot about his own standards. There is a great deal of money involved in the civil suit which will go ahead whether he speaks up or not.

If Peters is jailed, I’ll be sending an email of support to The Spectator and an email of protest to the provincial Supreme Court.

Update: Peters court date has been put off until next week. This might have been a bit more of a ‘test case’ than the civil lawyers were prepared to bite off.