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Innocent man identified as pedophile by Ottawa Citizen

On Wednesday the Ottawa Citizen ran a photo on the front page of its City section of a man whom it identified as a pedophile with four convictions.

He was, in fact, an innocent man whose misfortune was to have the same first and last names as the pedophile [although a different middle name].

Yes, mistakes happen, but this is the sort of thing that causes enormous suffering and damage to an individual – not to mention undermining the media’s credibility. I hope the Citizen takes it seriously and – at the very least – reviews its procedures.

The paper has apologized, but one wonders whether the harm, to the innocent man and to the paper, can ever be totally undone.

[hat tip Torontoist]