Star investigations, Trust Project up for awards

Reporters exposed abuse of temporary workers, cost of fossil fuel industry

The Toronto Star has been shortlisted for three national journalism awards: one for its initiative to increase transparency with readers around its reporting of the news, and one for each of two investigations: the first into the death of a temp worker on the job, and the other into how the government tried to keep information on gas and oil leaks from the public.

“Undercover in Temp Nation” and “The Price of Oil” have been shortlisted in the large media category for the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism. The award recognizes news organizations that effect positive change in the communities they serve.

“We’re hugely honoured by the nomination for our team and grateful for all the hard work our colleagues put into the project. We’re also thrilled to see an issue that impacts thousands of low-paid workers — often, an invisible workforce — recognized in this way,” said Star reporter Sara Mojtehedzadeh, who went undercover for a month at a factory where a worker died after her hijab was caught in a machine.

“Undercover in Temp Nation” led to many more stories from Mojtehedzadeh and Brendan Kennedy exposing dangerous work environments where temp agency workers are abused or injured on the job.

“The Price of Oil” is also among five projects shortlisted in the category. The national investigation on the hidden costs of the oil industry brought together more than 50 journalists and researchers from the Star, the National Observer, Global News and journalism schools, from Ryerson University, the University of Regina, Concordia University and the Univer- sity of British Columbia.

“Nothing of this breadth and scope has ever been done before in Canada. The results have been inspiring. This acknowledgement honours the incredible efforts of so many journalists seeking to get past the surface of a powerful industry to tell hidden truths,” said the Star’s Robert Cribb.

The project included a Global News documentary and numerous follow-up stories from the Star and National Observer.

Also up for an award is the Star’s Trust Project, a weekly initiative that takes readers behind the scenes of reporting and decision-making at the Star. The project is among three initiatives shortlisted for the CJF-Facebook Journalism Project News Literacy Award, which comes with a $10,000 prize and recognizes efforts from news organizations to encourage Canadians to better understand and examine the quality of news they consume.

“It’s an honour to be nominated along with these two fabulous initiatives, and it’s gratifying to know the Star’s efforts to bridge the media literacy gap and provide a window into how we do our journalism are being recognized,” reporter Kenyon Wallace said.

The awards will be announced at the Fairmont Royal York on June 14.