Awards reflect importance of strong journalism

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The top journalism awards in Canada were handed out over the weekend, recognizing stories on the important issues of our day – including missing and murdered Aboriginal women, the Syrian refugee crisis, suicides among Canadian army vets, and more.

 “These awards show the incredible quality of work done by Canadian journalists on the major issues of the day in both print and broadcast, even as their industry is facing great challenges,” Unifor National President Jerry Dias said.

Unifor members took more than dozen top prizes at the National Newspaper Awards and at the Canadian Association of Journalism Awards last weekend in Edmonton, where a Unifor member was also named Journalist of the year.

The NNA winners are:

  • Journalist of the Year: Joanna Slater, Globe foreign correspondent and Unifor Local 87-M member, for her coverage of the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe.
  • Arts and Entertainment: Greg McArthur, Kate Taylor and Jacquie McNish, Globe and Mail (Local 87-M), for their coverage of philanthropic donations to the Royal Ontario Museum
  • Beat Reporting: Kathryn Blaze Baum, Globe and Mail (87-M), for coverage of indigenous communities
  • Business: Jacquie McNish and Niall McGee, Globe and Mail (87-M), for a look into the investigation of allegations in the online gambling industry
  • Explanatory Work: Jon Wells, Hamilton Spectator (87-M), for looking inside McMaster University’s anatomy lab
  • Feature Photo: Tim Smith, Brandon Sun (191), for a photo of a solitary skater on the perfect ice of Clear Lake
  • International: Joanna Slater, Globe and Mail (87-M), for coverage of the refugee crisis in Europe
  • Investigations: Renata D’Aliesio, Globe and Mail (87-M), for her 18-month quest to unravel the spike in suicides among veterans who served in Afghanistan
  • Long Feature: Sierra Skye Gemma, Globe and Mail (87-M), for a story on pornography and healthy attitudes toward sex and love
  • Politics: Adrian Morrow, Globe and Mail (87-M), for coverage of secret payments to the Ontario Secondary Schools Teachers’ Federation by the provincial Liberal government
  • Presentation: Bryan Gee, Benjamin MacDonald, Globe and Mail (87-M), for Globe Style portfolio
  • Project of the Year: Toronto Star team (87-M), Andrew Bailey, David Bruser, Astrid Lange, Jim Rankin, Randy Risling, Joanna Smith, Rick Sznajder, Tanya Talaga, Jennifer Wells, for a project on missing and murdered Aboriginal women
  • Sports Photo: Fred Lum, Globe and Mail (87-M), for a shot of Jose Bautista’s bat flip

The CAJ winners are:

  • Open Media: Toronto Star team (87-M), Andrew Bailey, David Bruser, Astrid Lange, Jim Rankin, Randy Risling, Joanna Smith, Rick Sznajder, Tanya Talaga, Jennifer Wells, for a project on missing and murdered Aboriginal women
  • Community Media: Ian Hitchen, The Brandon Sun (191) for coverage of teenage girls running from home and into a world of drugs, alcohol and sexual abuse.
  • Photojournalism: John Lehmann, Globe and Mail