Spec leads pack with 24 nods for provincial awards
Reporter Jon Wells up for six awards; Barry Gray up for photojournalist of the year at gala
The Hamilton Spectator leads the pack with 24 nominations at this weekend’s Ontario Newspaper Awards.
Journalists from across the province (excluding Toronto) gather in Hamilton Saturday night for the gala celebrating excellence in daily newspapers.
The Windsor Star has 16 nominations, the Waterloo Region Record and London Free Press each have six and the St. Catharines Standard has four. The Guelph Mercury, which halted daily publication in January of 2016 after 149 years, has one nomination.
Spectator photojournalist Barry Gray is nominated for Photojournalist of the Year for a portfolio of his work. He is also nominated for News Photo for his picture of the dramatic rescue of a man crushed under a giant slab of concrete.
Spec reporter Jon Wells has six nominations: Spot News Reporting for young Finnigan Danne, who was found dead after a massive search in Dundas; Editorial/Opinion and Analysis for pieces on happiness, the lottery mentality and gratitude; Feature Writing for “The Forever Girl” about the Cindy Williams homicide cold case; Investigative Reporting for the “Peace of Mind” mental health series; General News Feature for “The last horse” about a barn fire in Puslinch Township that killed 43 horses; and Municipal Affairs for a profile of Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring, a profile of the Keith Neighbourhood after a fatal fire and a story on the death of Geraldine Copps.
Health reporter Joanna Frketich has two nods: Education Reporting for her five-part series “Danger Zone” examining immunization data to reveal alarmingly low vaccination rates at Hamilton schools and Health News and Lifestyle Reporting for her series of stories revealing plans by St. Joseph’s Healthcare to replace specialized neonatal nurses with lower-paid and less educated staff, reporting on the 20year vision of Hamilton Health Sciences and uncovering inconsistencies that raised questions about patient consent in a Hamilton medical study.
Frketich competes against two other Spec journalists in the Health category. Steve Buist is nominated for a series that looks at new directions in cancer treatments and Molly Hayes is up for her coverage of Hamilton’s opioid crisis.
Buist is also a nominee for Editorial/Opinion and Analysis for his insight into public sector salaries and police misconduct. He shares a Business Writing nomination with reporter Natalie Paddon for their stories on the inner workings of CHCH TV’s parent corporation and its complex web of companies.
Hayes is also up for a General News Feature award for her coverage of the Tim Bosma murder trial.
Also with two nominations is reporter Mark McNeil in Multimedia Journalism for his package about femme fatale Evelyn Dick and in Multimedia Special Project for a series about local history called Flashbacks. Spec Tiger Cats reporter Drew Edwards is also in the Multimedia Special Project category for 3 Down Nation, The Spec’s vertical website dedicated to the Canadian Football League.
Bulldogs reporter Teri Pecoskie is vying for the Sports Writing award with her three-part “Pay to Play” series investigating connections between socioeconomic factors and hockey success. Reporter Teviah Moro earned a Business Writing nomination for a feature about Burlington condo owners.
Photojournalist Cathie Coward is competing for a Sports Photography award for her picture of Patrick Blake Leeper setting a new American record in the double-amputee 200-metre race.
Three Spec columnists have also been nominated for ONAs. Paul Benedetti is up for a Humour Writing award for his musings on Donald Trump’s hair, the perils of shopping for Valentine’s Day and “Stuff your dad told you.” Lorraine Sommerfeld is nominated for Column Writing for a portfolio of her Motherlode column. And Susan Clairmont is nominated in the Investigative category for her look at a hunting accident in which former NHL player Stan Jonathan killed Peter Kosid on the Six Nations Reserve.