Ottawa, October 7, 1977 - The Vancouver Sun is the
recipient of the 1976 Michener Award for meritorious public service
journalism for a series of stories documenting RCMP misdeeds and a
cover-up that extended into the senior management levels at RCMP headquarters
in Ottawa.
The Sun was honoured at a Rideau Hall ceremony hosted by
their Excellencies Jules Léger and Mrs. Léger. Reporter John Sawatsky accepted the
award - presented by the Governor General - on behalf of the newspaper.
The London Free Press was given honourable mention for articles about London's skid row
by reporter Wendy Koenig. In his address to the assembled guests at
Government House, Mr. Léger congratulated
the award winners and said that "a dynamic and free press is a vital
element for any democratic society. Indeed without such a press,
there can be no democracy". (full text)
In March 1976, Robert Samson, a member of the RCMP Security Service,
went on trial for charges arising from the bombing of a supermarket
executive’s residence. During this trial, Samson disclosed he had
been involved in other questionable activities for the RCMP besides
the bombing incident, that much of his police career had been spent
breaking the law – on orders from his superiors – and that he was
just one of several who had been doing so. Following the trial, John
Sawatsky worked with managing editor Bruce Larsen to develop several
stories exposing decades of RCMP involvement in illegal activities
including arson, break-ins and theft. But it wasn't until December
7, 1976 that The Sun was in a position to publish its first story
implicating the upper echelons of the RCMP in the cover-up of its
illegal activities - the implications of which ultimately put in question the
integrity of the RCMP's chief officers and even ministers of the
crown
The jury praised the newspaper and John Sawatsky specifically, for
pursuing with “tenacity and skill… the facts surrounding illegal
activities by Canadian police and the police forces’ concealment of
such activity from their political superiors”. The jury further
concluded that this was a story of national importance involving the
very foundations of the Canadian legal system – respect for law and
order by those sworn to uphold them on behalf of all Canadians.
Honourable Mention: The London Free Press, for a
series of articles on London's skid row district. The judges said
the newspaper performed an exceptional service for its readership by
raising public awareness about the plight of the homeless and
disadvantaged living on skid row and the dedication shown by those
trying to cope with it. The reporter on the story, Wendy Koenig, was
commended for translating her facts and research into a readable,
sensitive portrayal of life in the soft underbelly of urban society.
Judges for the 1976 Michener Award:
Fraser MacDougall, chair of the judging panel, former Canadian Press executive and now executive secretary of the Ontario Press Council; Yves Jasmin, assistant secretary general of Communications at the National Museum of Canada; Bill Boss, director of public relations at the University of Ottawa.
The Michener Award, founded in 1970 by the late Right Honourable Roland Michener, then Governor General, goes to a news organization. The judges’ decisions are heavily influenced by the degree of public benefit generated by the print and broadcast projects submitted for consideration.
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