‘SHAME ON CANADA’

The Ottawa Citizen’s coverage of the crash inquest and the revelation of cannibalism angered many readers who wrote to let the paper know of their displeasure.

The Editor: Have decency and discretion ceased to exist in Canada? It would certainly seem so, in view of the publicity being given to the sordid and horrifying Hartwell case. Such cases, at a saner period in this country’s history, would have been heard ‘in camera’ and retained in top secret police files. This is where they belong. Instead, press, radio and TV pour out every minute detail, for public absorption, using prime time and blaring headlines.

And what about ‘the quality of mercy’ as it applies to the parents of Judy Hill? Shame on Canada for discarding decency, discretion and mercy in favour of rank sensationalism and the almighty dollar.

How long before the Hartwell case joins the ranks as a ‘musical’? (Miss) Zita Barbara May, Ottawa

What has the question concerning what a starving man eats got to do with an inquiry dealing with a lost aircraft, its crash and the death of three people and subsequent search and rescue of one survivor?

The person who raised this gruesome issue and those who flocked to hear about it are very sick. Where is man’s humanity to man? What a terrible ordeal to put Mr. Hartwell through ... E.A. Ritza, Ottawa

I believe The Citizen calls itself ‘the first paper of the capital.’ But what standards do you measure yourselves? Certainly not by good taste or compassion for others.

The red headline in the March 1 issue was completely unnecessary. I am not advocating censorship. Mr. Hartwell’s tragic story must be told. But your heading, in my opinion, was yellow journalism of the worst type, printed without regard for the feelings of people involved. Elisabeth Kulawick, Ottawa