Live Broadcast, Wednesday, July 29th, 2009 - 8pm ET
Tonight's Guest: Canadian Journalist, Byron Christopher
Byron Christopher hails from Campbellton, New Brunswick and has spent over 25 years in the news business developing a reputation for having a nose for news. Before joining CHED about a decade ago, Christopher spent 14 years with CBC Radio News and CBC Radio Current Affairs in Edmonton. He also taught journalism at NAIT for a while.
During his career he's had assignments from Nicaragua to Nepal, and lived in Australia and Finland for a few years. Christopher once wrote a story for the Pakistan News Service on how the Afghanistan war was viewed by a Canadian reporter (Byron).
In 1991 Christopher received an award for outstanding investigative journalism from the Canadian Association of Journalists for his probe of a double homicide in Saskatchewan.
On July 12th, 2005 29-year-old Liana White was reported missing after she failed to show up for work at her nursing station in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta.
Liana was four-months pregnant and the mother of a three-year-old daughter when she seemed to have disappeared into thin air.
Five days later her body was found lying in a ditch beside a country road between Edmonton and St. Albert.
On July 18th Liana's husband, 28-year-old Michael White, was charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a dead body.
Eighteen months later a jury found White guilty of murdering his wife and Justice Mary Moreau of Court of Queen's Bench sentenced him to life in prison with no chance of parole for 17 years.
In March 2009 White's appeal to have his conviction overturned and be granted a new trial was denied.
The sensational story captured not only local interest but garnered national and international coverage as well. But while much has been reported about the case, one story has not been told – until now.
Edmonton crime reporter Byron Christopher spent considerable time with Michael White. His exclusive access to the accused man kept the murder of Liana White at the top of local headlines until the veteran reporter was pulled off the story by his employer.
What follows is Christopher's own words describing his involvement in the case and he reveals numerous details about the matter that have never before been made public.
Not only is the story an insight into how the criminal justice system served Michael White, Christopher also offers up his unqiue inside observations on how the media handled their coverage of White's story.
Visit this link to read the complete story.
Join us tonight as we speak to Bryon Christopher about this and other media related issues on TvNewsLIES Radio Live about his colorful and extensive career.
As always, your calls will be welcome.
