Reporter Leah Hendry accepts the 2001 Michener Citation of Merit from Governor General Adrienne Clarkson on behalf of the Winnipeg Free Press.
The newspaper was honoured for a series of articles by columnist Lindor Reynolds and reporter Leah Hendry which examined the hardships faced by Winnipeg’s child prostitutes and homeless kids and presented a prescription for remedial action by families and agencies charged with helping them.
The Citation of Merit was presented at the annual Michener Foundation award ceremony held at Rideau Hall on April 30th, 2002.
The Michener Award for meritorious public journalism, sponsored by the Michener Awards Foundation, was launched in 1970 under the auspices of the late Roland Michener, then governor general. The award is for outstanding and disinterested public service in journalism. It is presented annually to a news organization – newspapers, broadcasting stations and networks, news agencies and periodicals are eligible – rather than an individual.