Her Excellency Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, presents the 2000 Michener Award for Meritorious Public Service in Journalism to David Studer, representing CBC Television, for a series of reports on the police and the justice system.
CBC’s the fifth estate provided revealing details about how police and justice officials approach their jobs, the techniques they use, and the way they respond to mistakes.
CBC was honoured during the annual Michener Award ceremony held at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, May 24, 2001.
The distinction between this and other media awards is primarily the emphasis on the degree of arm’s-length public benefit that is generated. Journalistic excellence alone is not enough. Other criteria include the resources available to the news organization – an effort to level the playing field for small, medium, and large-size organizational applicants.