Byron Christopher (born May 1, 1949) is a Canadian news reporter from

Campbellton, New Brunswick Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially ...

. His style of work has been self referred to as "Armageddon-like blood-and-guts crime reporting".Bayens "Who is That Man?" Christopher has filed stories across

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

and Australia, with most of his journalistic career focused on

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West, or Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a list of regions of Canada, Canadian region that includes the four western provinces and t ...

, often reporting on criminal justice. During the two decades that he worked for The

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

and for 630 CHED, he won national awards for both his print and radio journalism. He is known for his ability to secure exclusive interviews with convicted criminals, and is sometimes the only media source that high-profile criminals will contact. His investigation into alleged illegal activity by

Calgary Calgary () is a major city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the third-largest city and fifth-largest metropolitan area in C ...

-based

Talisman Energy Talisman Energy Inc. was a Canadian independent petroleum company that existed between 1993 and 2015. The company was created from the assets of BP Canada after British Petroleum divested its 57 percent stake in June 1992. It was one of Canada' ...

was reported worldwide, and eventually forced the company to suspend its operations in

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

Biography

Early life

Christopher was born in

, Canada. He began his broadcasting career in 1965, working as a sports reader for a local radio station, CKNB, while he was attending high school in Campbellton. After graduating in 1967, Christopher worked for a year and a half as a disc jockey at CKMR Radio in

Newcastle, New Brunswick Newcastle is an urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada. Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, it was an incorporated town and the shire town of Northumberland County. Situated on the north bank of the Miramichi Ri ...

. After working with CKMR, Christopher was hired to work as a DJ at CFOM Radio in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

. Christopher later commented that he was surprised to have been hired to work in Quebec, "since isFrench vocabulary at the time consisted nlyof the word 'Chevrolet'".McNally After working in Quebec, Christopher worked as a radio and television news announcer in

Dawson Creek Dawson Creek is a city in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The municipality of had a population of 12,978 in 2016. Dawson Creek derives its name from the creek of the same name that runs through the community. The creek was named after ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. In 1970 Christopher moved to

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

, where he worked for two Australian media outlets, Radio 5AU and GTS Television. Christopher returned to Canada in 1972, and has since pursued news assignments in the United States,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, Germany, Austria,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, Scotland,

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

, and

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. Most of his subsequent reporting has been focused on

Work with the CBC

Christopher worked from 1981 to 1995 for

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

News and CBC Radio Current Affairs, in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

. Over the course of his first decade in Edmonton, Christopher established himself as a criminal justice reporter, and for working with subjects convicted of serious crimes. Throughout his career, Christopher has had exclusive interviews with many locally and nationally well-known criminals, including Michael White,

Colin Thatcher Wilbert Colin Thatcher (born August 25, 1938) is a Canadian politician who was convicted for the murder of his ex-wife, JoAnn Wilson. Early life Colin Thatcher was born in Toronto, Ontario, on August 25, 1938. His father, Saskatchewan-born Ro ...

, Wiebo Ludwig, Leo Teskey, Anton Rapati, and

Karl Toft Karl Richard Toft (June 30, 1936 – April 28, 2018) was a Canadian convicted sex predator and pederast who committed an estimated 200 sexual assaults while working as a guard at the New Brunswick Training School in Kingsclear, New Brunswick. ...

. In 1984 Christopher was one of the first reporters to investigate a small commuter plane crash in northern Alberta, in which six people were killed. By developing a rapport with survivors and local residents he was one of the few investigating reporters present to succeed in interviewing those related to the incident. He was later interviewed as a primary source for author Carol Shaben's book on the crash, ''Into the Abyss''. In 1991 Christopher received a national award from the

Canadian Association of Journalists The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ; ''in French: Association Canadienne des Journalistes'') is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to advocacy and professional development for journalists across Canada. Founded in 1978 ...

for "outstanding investigative journalism", recognizing his work uncovering new details concerning a double homicide in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. In 1992 Christopher became the first reporter to interview

David Milgaard David Milgaard (July 7, 1952 – May 15, 2022) was a Canadian man who was wrongfully convicted for the 1969 rape and murder of nursing student Gail Miller in Saskatoon and imprisoned for 23 years. He was eventually released and exonerated. Up u ...

when Milgaard was released from prison after serving twenty-two years for a wrongful murder conviction. Christopher's interview with Milgaard was the inspiration for the line "and a late-breaking story on the CBC" in the song "Wheat Kings" by

The Tragically Hip The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, was a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassis ...

. After leaving the CBC, Christopher taught journalism briefly at

Grant MacEwan Community College Grant MacEwan University, commonly known as MacEwan University, is a public university located in Downtown Edmonton, Alberta. Originally established as a community college which was named in honor of Dr. Grant MacEwan, 9th Lieutenant Governor of ...

. In 1997 Christopher accompanied a group of four

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

students from Grant MacEwan on a fact-finding tour of Germany and Austria, meeting with local groups interested in the culture of North American Native peoples.

Work with 630 CHED

From 1996 to 2008 Christopher worked as a news reporter for CHED, an Edmonton-based talk radio station. In 2001 he taught a course in journalism at the

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is a public polytechnic and applied sciences institute in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. NAIT offers approximately 120 credit programs leading to degrees, applied degrees, diplomas, and certifica ...

, and in the same year wrote a story for the

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

News Service about how the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

was perceived by the Canadian news community. He deferred his payment for the story to "a needy Pakistani journalism student". In 2002 Christopher discovered that a

-based oil company,

, had been accused of complicity in the rape, bombing, kidnapping, enslavement, and execution of local people while operating in

South Sudan South Sudan (), officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered on the north by Sudan; on the east by Ethiopia; on the south by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and Kenya; and on the ...

. Talisman executives made it clear that they were uncomfortable with Christopher investigating the story, and sent a letter to CHED threatening to sue the company for libel if the story was ever reported. After Christopher filed the story the station refused to report it. Christopher attempted to have the story carried by other local media companies, including

Global TV The Global Television Network (more commonly called Global, or occasionally Global TV) is a Canadian English-language terrestrial television network. It is currently Canada's second most-watched private terrestrial television network after ...

and ''The

Edmonton Journal The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network. History The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...

''; they refused to run the story.Ende After being rejected by a number of local media companies, Christopher succeeded in having his Talisman story published by a small online magazine that specializes in publishing un- and under-reported news stories,

rabble.ca rabble.ca is an independent, non profit, English-language Canadian online magazine founded in 2001. It features podcasts, videos and a discussion board called ''babble''. History Judy Rebick and Mark Surman founded rabble.ca on April 18, ...

. About a week later Christopher's article on Rabble was noticed by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' of London. After the ''Financial Times'' ran the Tailsman story, it was noticed by other news services and was circulated globally via the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; , ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Press has been a private, not-for-profit c ...

, and

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

. The negative publicity caused by Christopher's article forced Talisman to suspend its operations in

within about a year, but local media never carried the article. In 2007 Christopher spoke on a panel to a group of international journalists in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

on the subject of how to respond when targeted by police search warrants. He once joked with an interviewer about his having been subject to half-a-dozen

search warrant A search warrant is a court order that a magistrate or judge issues to authorize Police, law enforcement officers to conduct a Search and seizure, search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to Confiscation, confiscate an ...

s, "more than the average drug-dealer in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

". Christopher left 630 CHED in 2008, and is now working as a freelance journalist in Edmonton.

Correspondence with Richard Lee McNair

Richard Lee McNair is a convicted American murderer, serving a life sentence for a homicide that he committed in 1987. He has escaped from a number of prisons over the period of his incarceration; and, after his second recapture in 1993, McNair was deemed problematic and transferred to a federal prison near

Pollock, Louisiana Pollock is a small town in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 469 as of the 2010 census, up from 376 in 2000. History The town proper that sprang u ...

. In 2006 McNair successfully shipped himself out of prison, convinced a police officer searching for him that he was a roofer working in the area, and escaped to Canada. McNair lived as a fugitive in Canada for over a year, travelling across the country before being apprehended in Christopher's hometown of Campbellton. In 2008 Christopher began a correspondence with McNair via mail. In his first letter, Christopher included a picture that he had taken of the town, taken near the place that McNair was arrested. He told McNair that he hoped the Campbellton Chamber of Commerce would write a cheque to McNair for all the publicity he had brought to the town, and wrote to McNair about the recent

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

and federal election. Christopher included three American dollars in order to cover the cost of paper and postage; the prison returned his money.Bayens "Richard Lee McNair" When McNair wrote back to Christopher, it was his first response to the media. The letter revealed many personal details about McNair's most recent escape which had previously been unknown. Campbellton's local newspaper, ''The Tribune'', covered their continuing correspondence in detail, publishing Christopher's award-winning series of articles on McNair under the title "The Running Man". In subsequent letters to Christopher, McNair revealed details about his escape and travels through Canada, providing most of what the public knows about McNair's time as a fugitive. Christopher compiled his correspondence, conducted additional research on the story, and eventually produced a book on McNair, ''The Man Who Mailed Himself Out of Jail''. It was released via

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

on June 20, 2013.''Amazon.ca''

Articles by Christopher

*Christopher, Byron
"Gretzky: Biggest Thrill of his Career"
''The

''. May 19, 1984. Retrieved July 22, 2012. *Christopher, Byron
"Colin Thatcher: How I Was Framed: After Serving 22 Years for the Murder of his Ex-wife, the Former Cabinet Minister Breaks His Silence"
''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

''. August 26, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Christopher, Byron
"Maclean’s Interview: Wiebo Ludwig: FROM THE ARCHIVES: Anti-oil Patch Activist on His Arrest, the ‘Very Humane’ Search of His Property, and the EnCana Pipeline Bombings"
''Maclean's''. January 20, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2012. *Christopher, Byron
"Civil Suit Civil War"
''Rabble.ca''. March 19, 2002. Retrieved July 22, 2012. *Christopher, Byron
"The ABCs of Unbiased News Coverage"
''Rabble.ca''. November 12, 2001. Retrieved July 22, 2012. *Christopher, Byron. . ''Sun Media''. May 20, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Christopher, Byron
"Wiebo’s Final Battle"
. '' The Dominion''. March 16, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2012.

References

Bibliography

"The Man Who Mailed Himself Out Of Jail [Kindle Edition]"
''Amazon.ca''. 2013. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
"Richard Lee McNair"
''America's Most Wanted''. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 22, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Atlantic Community Newspapers Association
"Best Feature Series Winner: Byron Christopher; Campbellton Tribune"
''2010 Better Newspapers Competition''. May 2010. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Bayens, Stuart P.

''Last Link on the Left''. May 15, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Bayens, Stuart P

''Last Link on the Left''. April 30, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Bayens, Stuart P

''Last Link on the Left''. January 12, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
"Mounties Capture 'Most Wanted' Killer in N.B."
''CBC News''. October 26, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Ende, Margi
"Left behind: Rabble and Its Struggle to Stay Afloat - and out of the Mainstream"
''

Ryerson Review of Journalism The ''Review of Journalism'' (formerly the ''Ryerson Review of Journalism'') is a Canadian magazine, published annually by final-year journalism students at Toronto Metropolitan University. The magazine profiles personalities, issues and controv ...

''. March 2004. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *''NAITline''. Vol.20, No.8. Edmonton, Alberta. March 2001. *McNally, Trevor
"Former CKNB Sports Reader is Now Veteran Crime Reporter"
''The Tribune''. Campbellton, NB. October 10, 2007. Retrieved July 21, 2012. *Shaben, Carol

Canada: Random House. October 2012. *Sweetgrass Staff. ttp://www.ammsa.com/node/12134 "Students on Speaking Tour" ''Alberta Sweetgrass''. Vol.4, Iss.6. 1997. Retrieved July 23, 2012. {{DEFAULTSORT:Christopher, Byron Canadian newspaper reporters and correspondents 1949 births Living people People from Campbellton, New Brunswick Canadian radio reporters and correspondents