Cobourg Police Collaborate With Northumberland Today?

The relationship that the Cobourg police have with Northumberland Today may be unhealthily close. I refer to the story, “Three Cobourg adults face drug-related charges.”

Cobourg Police Sgt. Peter Mclean runs up the driveway as a suspect
was boosting a child's ATV on Friday afternoon at a Campbell Street residence in
Cobourg on Friday afternoon. Northumberland Publishers/Sun Media

What are the chances that a Northumberland Today (NT) or free lance photographer coincidentally happened upon a surprise arrest of a suspect in a residential area? Is it safe to assume that the action-photo was a mutual masturbation opportunity between the Cobourg Police and NT or a close free lancer?

The question arises as to why the Cobourg Police chose Northumberland Today rather than Northumberland News. Or did it? Do the Cobourg police have a policy regarding it’s relationship with local news organizations, especially informing private individuals outside the police department about a pending action to arrest another private individual on a criminal charge?

Can any private individual obtain the privilege of being informed ahead of time of a pending arrest of another private individual? If so, how can I apply to be included, so that I can exploit the opportunity and make a bit of money to supplement my pension. Surely the Cobourg Police Dept has a vetting process from which it selects its favourites.

Does the Cobourg Police Dept have a rotating selection process for its photo-ops? Perhaps once a week for Northumberland Today and the following week for Northumberland News, and the third week from a free lancer?

Does Cobourg Council approve of the Cobourg Police Department contacting select private individuals to provide insider knowledge of a pending arrest of another private individual?

What is the purpose of the Cobourg Police contacting private individuals to provide this insider knowledge before the suspect (presumed innocent) knows about it?

The Northumberland Today is motivated by getting a scoop, increasing sales – the noble pursuit of cash. What other reason would NT have? It is below-the-belt-exploitation, but then again, what higher morality or ethics would the paper have that it would publish a surreptitiously acquired photo of a private individual.

The Northumberland Today wanted to get their scoop out so fast that they didn’t wait to publish the names of the alleged suspects, but had no problem plastering the faces of the hapless suspects all over the internet for the entire world to see. The police executed their warrant 4pm Friday and a handful of hours later the nameless faces were up for mom, dad, relatives and friends to see.

There’s something sleazy and smelly about this sort of journalism. Perhaps that is why Northumberland Today pulled the image (which was the first image to illustrate the story) from its album roster.