In her Feb. 20 Hook report, Sarah Buchanan noted with irony that painful electronic feedback halted a Vancouver city council meeting devoted to weighing whether to keep potentially noisy bars open later in some neighbourhoods.

But Ben Choy, the Evolution 107.9 radio reporter whose equipment Buchanan fingered for causing the screech, wishes to register a quiet but firm complaint.

“I would like to point out some facts that were omitted from [the Hook’s] report,” Choy states in an email that refers to himself in the third person. “The high pitched feedback … did not begin until 30 minutes after the council meeting started. The Evolution 107.9 News Reporter had his recorder on at the very beginning of the council meeting and at that time there was no high pitch feedback. As the council meeting took place, two female reporters sat to the left of the Evolution 107.9 reporter about 30 minutes into the proceedings. At that time a high pitch feedback sound became audible. Once the council requested everyone to turn off their electronic devices, the Evolution 107.9 News reporter turned off his recorder device and then turned it back on again, but there was clearly no audible feedback from his recorder. This can be verified by another reporter that was there. I think it's fair to say that no reporter should have been pointed out as the source of the audible disturbance unless all the facts had been presented and verified.

“Presenting both sides of the story and verifying facts through multiple sources,” Choy points out in his email, “is what good journalism is all about after all.”

Agreed, and the Hook is happy to provide the fuller context. By the way, is Choy denying that he was the one who caused the loud noise?

“I guess this is where I would use the so-called phrase ‘I do not confirm or deny that my voice recorder caused that loud noise’ because I just don't know.”

And now we return you to our regular programming.

David Beers is editor of The Tyee.