Three awards go to Sun, Province
The Vancouver Sun and The Province news team claimed three honours Tuesday during the Jack Webster Awards, which recognize the best and brightest in B.C. journalism across print, online, broadcast and radio.
Reporter Gord Hoekstra had his name called twice during the ceremony, which was held online this year in compliance with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Hoekstra won the Webster for Excellence in the Feature/Enterprise online/print category for his story, Anatomy of money laundering in B.C. real estate: 12 cases, $1.7 billion, 20 countries and 30 banks, in which he analyzed the different ways that illicit cash makes its way into the provincial housing market.
Hoekstra also shared a team award for Best Breaking News online/print — along with Scott Brown, David Carrigg, Tiffany Crawford, Nick Eagland, Keith Fraser, Dan Fumano, Nathan Griffiths, Stephanie Ip, Glenda Luymes, Gordon McIntyre, Derrick Penner, Jennifer Saltman and Rob Shaw — for the newsroom's coverage of the early days of COVID-19 in B.C.
Reporter Doug Todd was honoured with the award for Excellence in Legal Journalism for his story, British Columbians fight U.S. billionaire for “right to roam” in the wilderness, which detailed the Nicola Valley Fish and Game Club's turf war with Stan Kroenke, one of America's richest men. Vancouver Sun/Province colleagues Lori Culbert and Fumano were also nominated for their feature on jail guards sexually abusing inmates.
Culbert and Fumano received a second nomination for Excellence in Business, Industry, Labour and Economics for reporting on B.C.'s condo insurance crisis. CTV Vancouver claimed the top prize for Economic catastrophe — B.C. business faces the pandemic.
Culbert was also a runner-up in a new category, Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Reporting, for her feature, Tamara and the trans drop-In. CBC Vancouver won the award for its broadcast, When is enough? A CBC town hall from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Others winners announced in Tuesday's online ceremony included: CKNW for Best Breaking News — Radio; CTV Vancouver for Best Breaking News — TV, and Best Feature/Enterprise Reporting —
TV/Video; OMNI — TV for Best Reporting — Chinese Language; Marty Hastings of Kamloops This Week for Best Community Reporting; CBC B.C. for Excellence in Digital Journalism; CBC Radio's The Current for Best Feature/ Enterprise Reporting — Radio/ Podcast; and Andrew Nikiforuk and Amonrina Kingdon from Hakai Magazine for Excellence in Science, Technology, Health and Environment Reporting.
Nikiforuk also claimed the City Mike Award as commentator of the year for his writing in The Tyee.
The Jack Webster Awards are named after the late British Columbia broadcaster.