Winnipeg reporter wins International journalism award

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Winnipeg Free Press reporter and Unifor member Katie May is one of the first winners of a new international journalism award for her reporting on access to justice in remote areas of Manitoba.

“Unifor is proud that one of our journalist members is being recognized as one of the top journalists in the world with this award,” said Unifor National President Jerry Dias.

“Katie May’s work exposing the long delays to justice in Manitoba’s north shows the important role that journalism plays in a functioning democracy by holding our governments and their departments to account.”

May was the only winner in the Civil Rights category of the Fetisov Journalism Awards at a ceremony held January 22 in Lucerne, Switzerland. Her stories “Remote life, rough justice” looked at the long delays in Northern Manitoba for simple court dates such as bail hearings that keeps accused in jail for weeks on end before they can to go before a judge, and the impact this has on the accused and their families.

“I'm honoured to be part of the first Fetisov Journalism Awards. As the only Canadian shortlisted, I feel especially fortunate. I'm looking forward to continuing the work of getting to the truth and telling more stories,” May said after receiving the award.

Unifor Communications Representative Stuart Laidlaw, a journalist for 25 years, past unit chair of the Toronto Star and vice-president of Local 87-M, was a member of the expert panel for the awards, and helped select the shortlist of stories eligible to win the top prizes.

The Fetisov Journalism Awards were set up in 2018 and accepted entries for the first time last year, with prizes in four categories:

  • Outstanding Contribution to Peace
  • Contribution to Civil Rights
  • Outstanding Investigative Reporting
  • Excellence in Environmental Journalism