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The Story behind the story: Jim Bronskill -
The Canadian Press
The 2008 Michener Award finalists talk about their
award winning stories and the people who helped make them happen -
Michener Awards Ceremony, June 10, 2009
Jim Bronskill |
The Canadian Press teamed up with the CBC and
Radio Canada to undertake a multimedia analysis of Taser stun
guns and in particular, their use by the RCMP. More than 10 per cent
of Taser units tested were either found to be defective or behaved
unexpectedly, with some discharging significantly more electrical
current than the manufacturer’s standard. (The
award winning Taser Gun Project -
selected stories from the files of The Canadian Press)
Your Excellencies, fellow nominees, invited guests,
As journalists, our job is to ask questions. With the Taser story
there was --- and still is -- no shortage of questions.
My colleague Sue Bailey and I began asking questions about stun guns
five years ago, with a series on Taser use in Canada. At the same
time, the CBC and Radio-Canada also developed a keen interest in the
subject.
In October 2007 a gentleman from Poland, Robert Dziekanski, died
after being shocked with an RCMP Taser. The big questions: how could
this happen? And could it happen again?
Perhaps we had some clues. Sue and I began sifting through and
analyzing hundreds of RCMP Taser reports for the years 2002 to 2005.
A pattern emerged: more than two-thirds of people stunned were
unarmed.
In the months following the death of Mr. Dziekanski, the story only
grew.
In the interest of asking more questions -- and hopefully finding
some answers -- we at The Canadian Press and CBC / Radio-Canada
thought it best to join forces. And ask those questions together.
Getting all 4,000 RCMP Taser reports through the year 2007 was not
easy. It was a long battle under the federal information law. And
public outcry eventually forced the RCMP to release more data about
how and why they were using Tasers.
We continued asking questions. And we found the RCMP were firing
their Tasers multiple times in almost half of incidents -- despite
an internal policy that warned multiple jolts may be hazardous.
Indeed, many questions were asked. And many people helped ask them.
I want to mention a few of them now. I extend thanks to our many
colleagues at CBC and Radio-Canada. Frederic will mention names in a
moment. For the moment, I want to single out a fine collaborator,
the industrious David McKie; the inquisitive Sandra Bartlett;
tenacious Frederic Zalac, and the dogged Susanne Reber.
At The Canadian Press,
- The best reporter I know, Sue Bailey;
- Rob Russo, our bureau chief, whose unflagging support allowed us
to ask those important questions;
- Deputy bureau chief Dean Beeby, whose keen eye and sharp mind were
great assets;
- Eric Morrison, our president, who is always full of encouragement;
- Scott White, our editor-in-chief, who did not hesitate at the idea
of teaming up with a competitor to pursue an important issue of
public interest;
- Darlene Parsons and Kevin Wiltshire of our bureau, who did the
lion's share of work on the database and had many helpful
observations;
- Data analyst Phil Harbord, who worked so hard to help us make
sense of all these numbers;
- Technician Richard Paquette, who made glitches disappear and
wonderful patterns emerge.
- The many other reporters in our bureaus across Canada who did
fine work on the Taser story;
- And our wonderful graphic artists Sean Vokey and Tammy Hoy.
Thank you.
Jim Bronskill
Canadian Press
Michener Awards Ceremony
June 10, 2009
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Canadian Press - Co-winner 2008 Michener Award |
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photo by Sgt Serge
Gouin - Office of the Secretary to the Governor General
Standing (L-R): Eric Morrison,
President, Canadian Press; Rob Russo, Ottawa Bureau Chief; Scott
White, Editor-in-Chief.
Seated (L-R): Jim Bronskill, national reporter; Her Excellency
Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada; His Excellency
Jean-Daniel Lafond; and Sue Bailey, Ottawa reporter.
Photo was taken following
presentation of the
2008 Michener Award at a ceremony held in Rideau Hall, Ottawa, June 10,
2009.
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