The Michener Award

The first Michener Award was presented in 1971 for journalism in the calendar year 1970. It was launched under the auspices of the late Roland Michener, then-governor general. The Award honours and celebrates outstanding and unbiased public service in journalism. It is presented annually and since its inception, 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 the first national journalism award open to both broadcast and print media.

Entries are judged particularly for their professionalism, their impact on the public, and the degree of arms-length public benefit that is generated. Daily and weekly newspapers, news agencies, radio and television stations and networks and periodicals are eligible. Other criteria include the resources available to the news organizations, an effort to level the playing field for small, medium and large applicants.

There is usually only one annual winner for the Award. On occasion and at the discretion of the judging panel, the Award has been shared by two competing organizations on the same or related stories. For instance, in 2007, the judges decided to honour two newspapers for separate entries covering different phases of the Afghan detainee issue. CBC and Canadian Press shared the 2008 Michener Award for a joint project that analyzed and reported on the use of Taser stun guns. Split decisions may also occur if the panel has been unable arrive at a decision between two entries judged to be of equal merit. An entry designated as a runner-up is awarded Honourable Mention. Citations of Merit may also be awarded by the judges to selected finalists.

The awards are to news organizations, rather than to individuals. A comparable award in the United States is the Pulitzer gold medal for public service by a newspaper.

The Michener-Baxter Special Award

In 1983, the Michener Awards Foundation established the Special Award to be presented on occasion, and at the discretion of the Board of Directors, to an individual whose achievement exemplifies the best in public service journalism. In 2010, this award was renamed the ‘Michener-Baxter Special Award’ in honour of the late Clive Baxter. Mr. Baxter accepted the very first Michener Award on behalf of the Financial Post in 1971. He and his family have been generous supporters of the Michener Awards Foundation.