Their Excellencies Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul with the editorial staff of the Toronto Star, winner of the 2002 Michener Award.
L-R: Managing Editor Mary Deane Shears; reporter Scott Simmie; reporter Jim Rankin; Governor General Adrienne Clarkson; His Excellency John Ralston Saul; reporters Jennifer Quinn, John Duncanson and Michele Shephard.
The Star won the award for ‘Investigation into Race and Crime‘, a series of reports that showed the Toronto police department treated blacks differently than whites in the world’s most ethnically diverse city.
The award was presented during a ceremony held at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, April 10, 2003.
The first Michener Award covered the calendar year 1970. Since then, a rich variety of news organizations have had their names inscribed on Michener trophies – print and broadcast, large and small, French and English, East and West. The Michener was also the first national journalism award open to both broadcast and print media. The award goes to the news organization itself, rather than the individual journalists involved in the story.