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By Paul Schratz, Special to the Sun Facebook Censorship Unfounded Claims Get Unverified CoveragePaul Schratz, Special to the SunPublished: Saturday, March 22, 2008https://web.archive.org/web/20090126090025/http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/editorial/story.html?id=8dea76d2-5c65-4906-b194-d031fe9fc974 Imagine a disgruntled former Liberal going on a national speaking tour, making allegations that the Liberal sponsorship scandal was more massive than anyone ever imagined, implicated numerous officials, involved a conspiracy to conceal tens of thousands of secret payments, and featured hidden bank accounts and influence peddling. It would be an extraordinary story, indeed. In fact, the revelations would be so startling that no journalists would fail to take the next essential step: Verify. Verification means examining the credibility of the source of the story and the plausibility of the allegations. It means seeking corroborating sources. And it certainly means giving the alleged conspirators the chance to respond. For some reason the standards of journalism that apply to political reporting don't quite make the transition to the religion beat. The continuing saga of Kevin Annett is a case in point. Kevin Annett is a former B.C. United Church minister who for a decade has been making wild allegations that Catholic, Anglican and United Church-run residential schools were the scenes of horrific murders, torture and genocide. He has alleged a conspiracy to cover up a "Canadian Holocaust" perpetrated against natives, and that the graves of tens of thousands of bodies of babies and children have been concealed by the churches. Over the years, Annett has told his bizarre tale to anyone who will listen. Police have investigated his allegations on numerous occasions and have dismissed his claims as unfounded. As a result, they, too, have been named as accomplices in his conspiracy to commit genocide. Now Annett is benefiting from the technology that makes Facebook, and YouTube the phenomena that they are. Alternative media have adopted Annett and his crusade, inviting him to speak on college and co-op radio and repeat his claims unchallenged. Sadly, mainstream media such as the CBC and the Globe and Mail have begun adopting the standards of the new media, unquestioningly reporting his story and without questioning the veracity or the logic of his claims. In recent weeks, a fortified Annett has ratcheted up his strategy, engaging in more confrontation, serving 72-hour "eviction notices" to churches across the country and issuing "letters of demand" to everyone from the prime minister to the Queen and the Pope. He has refused invitations to meet, instead making outlandish (and untrue) declarations such as accusing the archbishop of Vancouver of having "fled to Mexico." Last week, Annett's group disrupted Palm Sunday Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral, ordering the Catholic Church to get off "Squamish territory." He and his small band of followers now threaten to interrupt Easter Sunday services and occupy churches to mark the "resurrection of the Squamish people." All of this has been dutifully reported by a number of mainstream media outlets, without a single reporter contacting the Archdiocese of Vancouver to ask for a comment, to ascertain Annett's credibility, or to examine the veracity of his allegations. In fact, only when the Squamish Nation issued a statement condemning the church occupations and declaring that Annett did not represent them did the media even suggest his claims might warrant more scrutiny Related Kevin Annett, Fruadster Behind the "International Common Law Court of Justice" Is Nailed (Oct. 23, 2014) (Large Index of articles on Kevin Annett) Kevin Annett ~ Psycho Con Artist: Alfred Webre Now 'Exposes" Kevin Annett After Promoting His Insane Lunacy for Five Years Running (Jan. 2, 2015) Report on Kevin Annett (that's well worth watching) from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in Canada-'Unmarked Graves' Part 1 Report on Kevin Annett from the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) in Canada-'Unmarked Graves' Part 2 Original 1907 'Report on the Indian Schools of Manitoba and the North West Territories' by Dr. Peter Bryce (Misquoted and embellished by Kevin Annett) Kevin Annett, Fruadster Behind the "International Common Law Court of Justice" Is Nailed (Oct. 23, 2014) Reader Questions Regarding Kevin Annett, Alfred Webre, & Eric Jon Phelps (Dec. 2, 2012) The Truth about Kevin Annett and Aboriginal Abuse (Jan. 7, 2016) How Kevin Annett Lost his Minister's Position in 1997: Formal Hearing Report from the United Church of Canada Responces by The British Columbia Conference of The United Church of Canada to Claims Made by Kevin Annett
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