You are not talking about "the Canadian media" here, you are taking on the CBC, which like the BBC, has the highest standards of journalism. It doesn't rely on unsubstantiated fact. Professional journalists confirm their facts. And they do not worry about bad PR for the tourism industry. The couple involved here are also professionals. However DR1 tries to spin this, Canadians believe the CBC and go to less dangerous places.
I understand your trust of the CBC, and it certainly is more trustworthy than many other networks, but you have to read carefully.
1st) The story's headline is that a couple files a complaint.
Of this there is little doubt, but this does not substantiate the truth of their story.
2nd) CBC was no more there than we were and their investigation of the facts amounts to the following
Marco Soria, the manager of the Sunscape The Beach resort, told CBC News that a Dominican guest claimed the Canadians had stolen a cellphone and some clothing.
Soria said the other parties in the dispute were a Dominican businessman and his wife. He said he put the Sinnotts, the other couple and a security manager in his SUV to straighten out the mess. He said the Sinnotts were not placed in cells.
"They were absolutely entitled to call the embassy, but they never did it," Soria told CBC News.
"They were so drunk, so drunk ? trust me," Soria said.
In other words, they offer up the denial of the Sinnott's facts, as told by the hotel manager.
So, assuming you believe everything that CBC says is true, what we have here is a story told by two different parties, in two contradicting versions, and CBC is not stating that one is more true than the other.
They are simply relating what the Sinnotts told them and what Marco Sonia told them
So they can still hold onto their integrity as a news network, but they do not substantiate either story, nor do they even hint that one story is less true than the other.
Thus, one cannot deduce that the Sinnotts version is true, just because one has confidence in the CBC.
One can only believe that an incident happened, of which we are highly unlikely to ever know the whole truth.
I personally do not believe the Sinnotts version, as there are too many holes in the story.
Ask any of the long term expats if they ever saw the bribe they just paid, get divied up amongst those who were going to share it.
I bet not one single one has ever seen that, yet that's what Mr. Sinnott would have us believe.
Well, I don't believe him.