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At a Rideau Hall award ceremony hosted by Governor-General Jeanne
Sauvé, the awards were accepted by Olivia Ward
representing the Star and Victor Malarek representing the Globe and
Mail.
They were the authors of series which were judged the best of
a record 59 entries, rated by the five-member panel of judges as
the highest-ever level of quality.
The Governor-General, in presenting the awards, said the
recipients had demonstrated a high degree of professionalism, an
uncommon sensitivity toward their subject matter and an ability
to translate cold facts and warm anecdotes into prose that is
interesting, readable, and informative. (the
full text)
Her Excellency
also paid tribute to former Governor General Roland Michener who was
a guest of honour at the ceremony. He was presented with a special
Michener Award for his initiative in creating the journalism awards
program, which bears his name, and for his support of the
Foundation. She congratulated him for "having the foresight and
vision to create at least one occasion during the years where we
might legitimately applaud the work of our media.”
The former Governor General founded the Michener Award in 1970. It
honours and celebrates outstanding public service in journalism.
- An examination of the plight of illegal immigrants living
underground and their exploitation by lawyers, immigration
"consultants" and employers.
- a second series dealing with the treatment of illegal
immigrants - some claiming refugee status - held at a Toronto area
detention centre. The stories revealed that conditions at the centre
did not even satisfy United Nations minimum standard rules for
treatment of prisoners. The reports led to the release of the
detainees to church groups and eventually to closing of the centre.
- a third set of stories reporting on the Canadian government program aimed at enticing entrepreneurs as landed immigrants, on condition they make investments creating jobs in the country. Many of the wealthy who hoped to buy their way into the country found themselves victimized by unscrupulous Canadian lawyers and consultants. Others made investment promises they had no intention of keeping. The Canadian government reacted by tightening controls on the entrepreneur program.
Michener Award Finalists
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The Toronto Star's eight-part series about
the multicultural composition of Toronto's population was undertaken
in the belief that increased knowledge about ethnic minorities dispels prejudice.
The stories ran in the Sunday Star.
The series painted a sensitive picture of seven distinct cultural
communities and concluded that the city's multiculturalism isn't
perfect but it works. It was based on three months of exhaustive
research, including 1,400 interviews.
Reporter Olivia Ward also noted that 56 per cent of Metro residents
belonged to minority ethnic groups and she set out to learn why they
are under-represented in important jobs. The answer wasn't simple
and she found some surprises along the way
A booklet containing all eight articles sparked an overwhelming
demand for copies from school boards, and community service and
research organizations. The series also led to a Star forum on
racism and an Ontario ministry of education meeting on the minority
theme.
The work of three other newspapers was also recognized at the award
ceremony.
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Honourable Mention was awarded to the St. Catharines Standard for a series on the implications of a washroom-sex scandal. In January of 1985, the arrests of 32 men on charges of committing sex acts in a public washroom set the stage for the newspaper’s sensitive and intensive investigation of the entire issue. Following the suicide of one of the accused, the police issued the names of all those charged. Unlike other daily newspapers in the area, The Standard chose not to publish any names at any time because of its concern for the disparity between the legal penalty of conditional discharge and the social penalty. The discovery of a link between the suicide and the arrests turned it into a story of national interest and debate. The impact of the series gave the public a better understanding of homosexual problems, put the charges in perspective and influenced the Niagara Regional Police Commission to halt mass arrests of this type.
The newspaper assigned a team of reporters - Michael Clarkson, Kevin McMahon, Kevin Cavanagh and Doug Herod - to find out not who was involved but the what, why, where, and when of the incidents. The series affected the community emotionally as reflected in the more than 400 phone calls received in the two weeks following publication.
Citations of Merit were presented to:
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The Kitchener Waterloo Record for a series on problems in
the agricultural industry affecting the Canadian Dairy Commission,
the Farm Credit Corporation and the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
among other farm organizations examined. Jim Romahn, the Record's
agriculture and food writer, led the way in this wide-ranging and
detailed investigation. The Kitchener Ontario newspaper has been the
winner of 3 Michener Awards since 1978 in addition to this year's
Citation of Merit.
The
Calgary Herald for a continuing investigation of firms and
people benefitting from the federal government's scientific research
tax credit program which was in effect from October 1983 to December
31, 1985. Two reporters, Bob Beaty and Kaye Dunn spent two years
concentrating on research undertaken or proposed by three Alberta
firms: Bechtold Resources, Hol-Sims Farms, and Albion Micro-electronics.
Their
investigation, under threat of libel action by one firm, disclosed
the improper use of government funds with little or none going into
research. As a result of the reports, Revenue Canada took action to
recover a total of $32 million dollars from the 3 companies
involved.
Judges for the 1985 Michener Award:
Fraser MacDougall, jury chairman, former Canadian Press executive and now executive secretary of the Ontario Press Council; Bill Boss, former director of public relations at the University of Ottawa; Emery LeBlanc, former editor of L'Evangeline and now director of public relations for Via Rail of Montreal; and William Metcalfe, former managing editor of Winnipeg Free Press and Ottawa Journal; Bob Nielsen, Perth-Andover, N.B.
The Michener Award, founded in 1970 by the late Right Honourable Roland Michener, then Governor General, honours and celebrates outstanding public service in journalism. Entries are judged particularly for their professionalism and their impact on the public. Daily and weekly newspapers, news agencies, radio and television stations and networks and periodicals are eligible.
Websites:
www.michenerawards.ca
www.prixmichener.ca