Reporting wasn’t unbiased in Phillips investigation story
By Lethbridge Herald on November 15, 2025.
Editor,
As a Lethbridge resident, I believe it’s vital our discussions about policing and accountability be based on facts, not emotions. The recent CBC reporting on the Shannon Phillips–Lethbridge Police investigation raises fair concerns — but also shows how logic can get blurred by the way a story is told.
The article leans heavily on emotional appeal, quoting Phillips’s frustration to make readers feel outrage rather than examine the evidence. It also generalizes that if the system failed her, it must fail everyone — a claim that sounds persuasive but isn’t proven.
The story further suggests that because ASIRT recommended charges and none were laid, justice must have failed, without explaining the Crown’s higher legal standard for prosecution.
Add in loaded language and missing context, and readers are steered toward one conclusion before hearing the full picture. If we want real accountability and trust in Lethbridge, we need journalism that informs rather than inflames — and readers willing to spot logical fallacies before drawing conclusions. Logic matters as much as justice does.
Maxine Browne
Lethbridge
8-7
A factless and emotional plea against factlessness and emotion.