TORONTO, April 23,
2024 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF)
is proud to announce its shortlists for the CJF Jackman Awards
for Excellence in Journalism, honouring news organizations that
embody exemplary journalism and have a profound positive impact on
the communities they serve. Finalists are recognized in two
categories: large and small media.
Through this prestigious award, the CJF has since 1996
recognized news organizations that embrace ideals of journalistic
excellence – originality, courage, independence, accuracy, social
responsibility, accountability and diversity.
"Last year, Canadian news organizations – large and small, new
and old – provided their audiences with stories that helped shape
both the country and its communities," says jury chair Christopher Waddell, professor emeritus at
Carleton University's School of
Journalism. "Our finalists have explored a broad range of subjects
– climate, healthcare, governance, hate crimes, Indigenous issues,
government scandals involving elections tampering, healthcare,
COVID-19 spending, and land development.
"At a time when journalism and news organizations are being
besieged from all sides about what they cover and how they cover
it, it is encouraging to see the quality and depth of reporting all
these stories feature -- ample evidence that despite the external
pressures there remains a sound foundation for Canadian journalism
to build on for the future."
The five finalists in the large media category (more than 50
full-time employees) and the stories and/or series shortlisted for
the award are:
- The Canadian Press for a months-long investigation that
revealed a toxic workplace culture in Canada's spy agency, including allegations of
rape and harassment, challenges faced by whistleblowers in going
public or seeking justice and a follow-up report that revealed that
CSIS director David Vigneault called
a town-hall meeting about the initial CP investigation. These
articles provide a rare unauthorized look at the inner workings and
culture of CSIS, one of Canada's
most secretive organizations.
- Global News for an investigation into federal pandemic
contracts that revealed that BTNX Inc., a Toronto-area business that received billions
in federal funding for supplying 404 million COVID-19 tests to
Canadian pharmacies, gave Health Canada incomplete data about the
accuracy of its test kit.
- The Globe and Mail for its investigation into Chinese
efforts to disrupt the 2021 federal election: CSIS documents reveal
Chinese strategy to influence Canada's 2021 election; CSIS uncovered Chinese
plan to donate to Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation and
China views Canada as a "high priority" for interference:
CSIS report.
- The Narwhal/Toronto Star for stories uncovering a "gold
rush" as developers spent nearly $137
million after the Ontario
government reneged on promises to protect the environmentally
sensitive Greenbelt and revealing that developers attended the
Premier's daughter's wedding and showing how The Narwhal
pulled back the curtain on officials' schemes to push Greenbelt
development forward despite ongoing opposition.
- The Winnipeg Free Press
for The Inquest Files, reporting on two decades of inquests
following fatal shootings involving Manitoba police, uncovering a pattern of
delays, examining the barriers faced by one Anishnaabe family in
order to participate in an inquest, exposing how expert witness
testimony favours law enforcement and revealing judges'
unwillingness to make tangible recommendations.
The five finalists in the small media category (fewer than 50
full-time employees) and the stories and/or series shortlisted for
the award are:
- The Humber College StoryLab for
Surviving Hate, a years-long collaborative journalism project about
the paucity of data related to Canadian hate crimes and incidents,
particularly regarding anti-Indigenous racism. Stories were
published in Canada's National
Observer about how anti-Indigenous racism was poorly tracked
and harming patients in hospitals; the Toronto Star about
how post-secondary institutions were addressing hate crimes and
re-shaping curriculum and in a report card with TVOToday on how
Canadian medical and nursing schools have implemented the Truth and
Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action related to Indigenous
health issues.
- The Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Toronto Star for an investigation
into patient survey data from Ontario hospitals, exploring the human cost of
the healthcare system's crises: The Patient Files: What is it like
for patients at your local hospital?; Ontario hospitals asked patients about the
care they received. Results were kept secret — and pleas for change
went ignored and Behind the curtain of Ontario's hospitals.
- The Montreal Gazette for a series highlighting the
preventable nature of six deaths at the Lakeshore General Hospital
emergency room and exposing how the West Island Health Authority
covered up the circumstances surrounding these deaths: Staff
haunted by suicide at the Lakeshore Hospital ER; Whistleblowers
flagged deaths at Lakeshore ER multiple times and Premier
"shielded" from harsh realities of Lakeshore ER, sources say;
- The Trillium for a series on the influence of land
developers in Ontario politics.
Articles in the series contributed to the government's decision to
reverse its decision to open the Greenbelt to developers; showed
the outcome of the Ontario
government's close relationship with developers and used data to
investigate the extent of developers' largesse in Greater Toronto Area municipal politics.
- The Tyee for Bracing for Disasters, a series using open
data and interviews with experts and survivors, to demonstrate that
evacuations in B.C. are now lasting weeks; that safety nets are not
expanding accordingly; that Indigenous communities are among the
hardest hit and that frontline workers and survivors face serious
mental health trauma. The series comprises articles, interviews and
an event focused on empowering communities to endure climate
disasters.
All finalists' story submissions are available on
our Awards page.
The winners will be announced at the CJF Awards ceremony
on June 12 at the Royal York Hotel. For
tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact
information below or visit the CJF Awards page.
The 2024 CJF Awards are generously supported by CIBC, Rogers
Communications, Google News Initiative, Labatt Breweries of
Canada, Canadian Medical
Association, McCain Foods, MobSquad, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group,
Intact, Sobeys, TD Bank Group, CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada Life,
Scotiabank, Canadian Bankers Association, FGS Longview
Communications, KPMG, RBC, Accenture, Aga Khan Development Network,
Apple Canada News, The Balsillie Family Foundation, Bennett Jones
LLP, Canadian Women's Foundation, CDPQ, Davies, Desjardins, Loblaw
Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, Sunnybrook Foundation, Tom's
Place, and The Woodbridge Company Ltd. In-kind sponsorship is
provided by Bespoke Audio Visual, MLSE and Porter Airlines.
The CJF Jackman Award jury members are:
- Christopher Waddell
(chair);
- Sonali Verma, deputy head
of audience at the Globe and Mail;
- Manjula Dufresne, former
producer, The National, CBC News Network;
and
- Wendy Metcalfe,
vice-president of content and editor-in-chief, Hearst Connecticut
Media Group.
Cision is the exclusive distribution
partner of the CJF.
About The Canadian Journalism Foundation
Founded in
1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates
and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a
prestigious awards and fellowships program featuring an industry
gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding
journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism.
Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF
facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics
and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and
the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation
also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and
research.
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Josh Gurfinkel, Director of Operations, The
Canadian Journalism Foundation, jgurfinkel@cjf-fjc.ca.
Related Links
http://www.cjf-fjc.ca
SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation