Your
Excellencies, parliamentarians, Madam Fraser, members of our board
of directors, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the Michener Awards
Foundation, I begin by thanking Your Excellency for those words of
support and encouragement.
I join in your welcome to our guests this evening for the
presentation of the 37th annual Michener Award - and the 21st annual
Michener and Michener-Deacon Fellowship. The late Right Honourable
Roland Michener realized journalism was not among the endeavours to
which honour was paid annually here at Rideau Hall.
The Governor General commissioned John Matthews to design a trophy
that would symbolize the new award. Mr. Matthews produced a handsome
bronze rectangle on a marble base with stylized type-font letters on
one side and broadcasting antenna on the other. Thirty-seven years
later, that trophy is the most coveted national prize for journalism
– journalism making a difference for the public good. Soon we will
introduce the trophy for the 38th presentation. But first…
One of the objectives of the foundation is advancing journalism
education. To that end an annual fellowship was established in 1987.
The Michener Deacon Fellowship is intended to allow one, or perhaps
two, mature journalists a four-month study leave to complete a
project that both serves the public interest and strengthens their
professional experience.
This year’s winner is Denise Davy of the Hamilton Spectator.
Ms Davy will use the Fellowship to investigate and report on “the
crisis in children’s mental health and shine a light on this most
urgent and neglected issue.” In her application, she said that more
and more children are being diagnosed with mental health disorders.
But the majority are not getting the treatment they so desperately
need. Instead, some are over-medicated -- with unforeseen long-term
effects.
In unanimously supporting her project, the judges found that her
presentation made a strong case for the relevance and viability of
the topic. They said the writing samples she submitted … “gave a
clear sense that she knew how to communicate a story of this type.
As well – a prerequisite for a Michener-Deacon Fellowship -- the
judges said that her career record … gave confidence that the
project will come to fruition.
There were 50 entries for the 2007 Michener Award. Seven were from
French-language organizations. Twelve were from western Canada. Four
came from the Atlantic provinces. There were eight entries from
broadcasters. Others came from a small magazine and a weekly
newspaper. And for the first time an online daily magazine joined
the Michener competition.
All this underlines a key point and about the Michener Award. As one
of my colleagues aptly put it, we are truly national – across media,
across language and across country. Our board of directors consider
it a top priority to build on this major strength.
Now, it’s my pleasure to introduce this year’s finalists for the
Michener Award.
A joint entry by The Globe and Mail and the CBC News program, the
fifth estate.
Stories published in the Globe and Mail and broadcast on the fifth
estate revealed new details of the financial relationship between
former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and German-Canadian businessman
Karlheinz Schreiber.
The two organizations allowed journalists to work together while
they maintained editorial control over their own stories. Their work
continued for more than a decade. During that time the organizations
reported numerous attempts to intimidate the reporters.
As a result of the stories, the government promised a public inquiry
and the House of Commons ethics committee held hearings.
Le Devoir - Two journalists overcame strong resistance to expose
irregularities and revealed a serious financial crisis at the
Université du Quebec à Montreal. The crisis was created largely by
huge cost overruns on real estate projects, including one involving
a student residence and an inter-city bus terminal.
Following publication of more than a dozen stories, the Auditor
General of Quebec conducted a special audit of the situation and the
Quebec government adopted new rules requiring universities to seek
approval for real estate projects.
The judges combined separate entries on the treatment of prisoners
in Afghanistan by The Globe and Mail and La Presse. Stories
published by The Globe and Mail in March and April 2007 led to an
inquiry and a new agreement that allowed Canadian investigators
access to detainees. Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor was shuffled
out of his position following criticism of his handling of the
issue.
Stories published by La Presse in October and November indicated
that abuse was continuing. In January 2008 the Canadian government
revealed that the transfer of prisoners to Afghan authorities had
been suspended. Journalists for both newspapers reported on the
ground in Afghanistan at considerable personal risk.
I digress to congratulate the management of La Presse and reporters
Joel-Denis Bellavance and Gilles Toupin. They recently won a World
Press Freedom award for refusing to comply with a court order to
reveal the source for a story about a Montrealer accused of terror
links. Protection of the confidentiality of sources is fundamental
to the kind of journalism we celebrate today.
The Michener Awards Foundation supports and salutes you.
The London Free Press published more than 40 articles about elevated
levels of lead in the city’s drinking water. The paper overcame
resistance at city hall to prove the city had been tolerating high
levels of lead for at least 12 years.
Following an investigation, the Environment Minister immediately
implemented new regulations. As a result, all cities, schools and
day care centres in the province are now required to test and flush
their water systems daily, rather than weekly. Requirements for
water testing by municipalities were also strengthened.
The Province.
When a study showed that dikes protecting 20 Fraser Valley
communities were inadequate the Province decided to investigate. The
series exposed the threat of floods on the Fraser River in great
detail.
Following the series, the British Columbia government announced that
it would spend $33 million to upgrade dikes on the river and a total
of $100 million over the next 10 years on flood mitigation measures
in the province.
The Toronto Star.
A series on the lack of transparency around patient safety called
“Medical Secrets” exposed a number of problems in Ontario hospitals.
Following the series, the Ontario government announced that:
- the public will be able to access patient safety information by hospital
online;
- hospitals will be required to post data on adverse events on their
websites;
- and that the public will be able to find out whether any health care
professional has been found guilty of malpractice, has a criminal
conviction or has a limit on a licence to practice.
Your Excellency, last year you reminded us that our job requires us
to keep asking the tough questions - questions to which there may be
several answers - to avoid oversimplification and misinformation.
You have heard from eight news organizations today that did just
that. All persevered in asking questions. All persevered against
some adversity. All are worthy finalists – and we are proud of them.
Now comes the moment we’ve been waiting for.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the winner of the 2007 Michener
Award is The Globe and Mail and La Presse for their work on the
treatment of detainees in Afghanistan.
David Humphreys
President
Michener Awards Foundation
June 13, 2008
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