A conversation with Canadian independent journalist Byron Christopher, exploring the shadows where public narratives meet private truths. Byron shares his unlikely path from small-town disc jockey to frontline reporter, reflecting on the pivotal moments that shaped a career spent chasing stories others wouldn’t touch.
Known for what he’s called an “Armageddon-like, blood-and-guts” style of crime reporting, Byron speaks about his approach to journalism and his belief in what he terms No News Release Journalism.
On the urgent need to diversify news sources in an era of collapsing public trust, and the ethical tightrope every reporter must walk. Byron recounts landmark investigations, from exposing allegations against Canadian oil companies operating in Sudan to tracking the twisting saga of convicted murderer and escape artist Richard Lee McNair.
Along the way, he shares stories of being a target of state surveillance, navigating dark and difficult subjects, and working on controversial cases, including UFO investigations, sensitive sexual abuse reports, and his work on Weibo Ludwig.
Part memoir, part introduction to fearless reporting, this interview offers a window into what it takes to stay human while holding power to account.
Excerpts
On Influences in Media
Here's the government lying to us. And the media went along with it. And that's what happens when you're on the take, where your bread is buttered and you fall into line. There are many examples of government influencing media, and I ran into that when I worked at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, very similar to the BBC in England and ABC in Australia.
On Interviewees:
I treat them fairly and with respect. And I think that creates a trust, but I don't cover it for them… there's a place where you can draw a line there, but my goal is to get information from them. And you're not gonna get it by being adversarial ever. And that works with crown prosecutors, judges, lawyers, people on the street, any, so I said to him, I'm here. I'm not your friend, not your enemy. Talk. Tell me what's on your mind, what's your point of view on this?”
On UFOs and Shattering Beliefs
He said, there are UFOs, Byron. And I said, okay. And that kinda shatters your belief because here they are saying that Roswell is not true and nothing crashed there and word comes out over time. Yeah, there were crashes.... Yeah, there's like little doubt anymore that we're not alone in the universe, and I don't know what else we've been lied to.
Yeah, it's a strange world, my friend, and the more I delve into it the less I seem to know is totally confusing at times.
On Being a Target of State Surveillance
That's a surveillance house. I said, on who? He said, you stupid. You've done stories on the oil and gas industry. They'd be doing that to you right away. And I said, I don't believe it. And he said, no, you Canadians are naive about that.
He said, I'll tell you how you bust that house. It's a surveillance house. It would be run by the similar to the NSA in the United States. We have our own group here called the Communications Security Establishment, CSC. He said that's who those people are. If they're monitoring you. I said, I don't believe it.”
…you should know that the communication security establishment in Canada, that's our NSA, has files on one in four Canadians. That's documented evidence brought up in parliament.
