QUEBEC CITY, August 15, 2008 - Don Butler of the Ottawa Citizen and Societé Radio-Canada's Madeleine Roy and Mireille Ledoux are the winners of the ninth annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism.
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The Justicia Awards are sponsored by the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) and the Department of Justice Canada. The Awards recognize outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system.
Special certificates of merit were also awarded by the independent panel of judges to Michael Tymchuk of CBC Radio and Charles Rusnell, formerly of the Edmonton Journal.
The winners will be honoured at a ceremony tomorrow, August 16, at the CBA's 2008 Canadian Legal Conference in Quebec City.
Broadcast
Reporter Madeleine Roy and producer Mireille Ledoux are th e winners in the broadcast category for their report "Justice pour Anas" on Radio-Canada's Emission Enquete in March 2008. The program examined the circumstances surrounding the 2005 shooting death of a 25-year-old Montrealer, Mohamme d-Anas Bennis, at the hands of a police officer. The Justicia jury praised the "comprehensive and hard-hitting report" that led authorities to promise reforms to the system for investigating police shootings. The jury found that "the report managed to lift the veil on a little-known aspect of the administration of justice and demonstrated how important it is that justice not only be done, but be seen to be done."
A certificate of merit was awarded to CBC Radio Victori a's Michael Tymchuk for his two-part report examining an innovative effort to battle drug and alcohol abuse in a small Vancouver Island First Nations community.
Band leaders on the Ahousaht reserve served an ultimatum on 40 suspected dru g dealers and bootleggers: Undergo treatment for substance abuse at a distant treatment centre or leave. The Justicia jury described the reports as a "fascinating and balanced look at the innovations and challenges facing First N ations efforts to regain control of their reserves while ensuring the ends of justice are served."
Print
Don Butler of the Ottawa Citizen is the winner in the print category for his November 200 7 stories which examined the persistence of public support for tough-on-crime policies advocated by elected officials. The stories offer possible explanations for that support and draw on public opinion research to show that assessing true public att itudes on these issues is complex. The Justicia jury said Butler succeeded in probing behind the headlines and beyond the rhetoric, the result being "public service journalism at its best."
The judges also awarded a certificate of me rit to Charles Rusnell for a series of stories in the Edmonton Journal on Edmonton police Const. Joe Slemko, a world-recognized expert in blood-spatter analysis and his own struggles within the police department. The judges said Rusnell's reporti ng combined "excellent research, compelling writing and an abiding sense that justice must be seen to be done."
The entries were judged by Judge Sean Dunnigan of the Provincial Court of Alberta, Montreal lawyer and journalist Mélanie Raymond and Dean Jobb, a Halifax journalist and journalism professor.
The criteria for judging entries are accuracy, effectiveness in explaining legal issues to the public, informational value, insig ht and originality. This year's submissions were published or broadcast between May 16, 2007 and May 15, 2008.
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Ref.:
Hannah Bernstein
Canadian Bar Association
Aug. 15-19, Québec City Conve ntion Centre, Room 2103
Tel: 418-649-5218
E-mail: hannahb@cba.org.
