Umar Zameer is acquitted of murdering a Toronto police officer, but the way his case was handled by the media and politicians raises questions about the impact of public narratives in high-profile legal cases.

Plus, Goldsbie sits court-side, and why Connie Walker deserves an apology.

Want your audio story on CANADALAND? Submissions for the Local Correspondent Audio Contest are now open! To learn more, visit canadaland.com/audiocontest and follow @CanadaLabs on Instagram to stay in the loop.

Host: Jonathan Goldsbie

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor), André Proulx (Production Coordinator), Karyn Pugliese (Editor-in-Chief)

Guest: Karen K. Ho

 Further reading: 

• Jennifer Pan’s Revenge – Toronto Life (2015)
• ‘What Jennifer Did’ producer denies using AI-generated photo – Toronto Star
• The Enduring, Pernicious Whiteness Of True Crime – The Appeal (2020)
• That Other School Shooting – The New York Times Magazine (2013)
• From ‘Gold Rush’ to ‘The Tinder Swindler’: How Raw Conquered the Doc World – The Hollywood Reporter (2023)
• Let’s Talk About How My Job at Bell Gave Me Mental Health Issues and No Benefits – Canadaland (2016)
• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024: Connie Walker – Time
• How Connie Walker Won – CANADALAND (2023)
• How Connie Walker Got Us Listening – The Walrus
• Civic leaders stoked hatred of Umar Zameer after Toronto police officer’s death: lawyer – CBC News
• Ex-mayor John Tory reflects on comments slamming Umar Zameer bail decision – Toronto Star 

Sponsors: Calm, Douglas, Squarespace 

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody.  

You can listen ad-free on Amazon Music—included with Prime.