17 nominations for Postmedia journalists
Postmedia journalists have been nominated for 17 National Newspaper Awards.
The Saskatoon StarPhoenix had the most nods of any Postmedia newspaper, earning three nominations. The newsroom as a whole was nominated in the breaking news category for its coverage of a shooting spree in the northern Saskatchewan community of La Loche, in which four people were killed and another seven injured. The StarPhoenix’s Charles Hamilton was nominated in the beat reporting category for his coverage of crime and justice issues, and Dawn Dumont was nominated in for her columns about embracing her heritage as an indigenous woman.
Photojournalist Leah Hennel of the Calgary Herald and Calgary Sun was nominated twice, in the feature photo category for her image of a horseback rider on the range and in the sports photography category for her shot of a rodeo rider being trampled into the mud.
The National Post and Toronto Sun each received two nominations. The Post’s Richard Warnica was nominated in the international reporting category for his coverage of the U.S. presidential election, and Joe O’Connor was nominated in sports for a collection of three features, one on horse-breeding, one on an unsuccessful ultra-marathoner and one on the secret lives of hockey parents. Two Sun photographers received nominations: Veronica Henri earned a nod in news feature photo for a shot of the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s son holding a poster in the doorway of his home, while Stan Behal was nominated in the news photo category for a shot of a father grieving the death of his daughter in a car accident.
The Edmonton Journal/ Edmonton Sun also received two nominations. Columnist Paula Simons was recognized in the politics category for her investigation into the death of an indigenous fouryear-old foster child, and the papers’ combined newsroom was nominated for its coverage of the Fort McMurray wildfires.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our newsrooms after what I consider to be a banner year for Postmedia with 17 NNA nominations,” said Gerry Nott, Postmedia’s senior vicepresident for content, said Monday. “In the face of enormous challenges, our newsrooms, large ones and smaller ones, produced nationalcalibre work across of a range of categories, from breaking news to political reporting, photography to sportswriting. The nominations are a testament to the passion our journalists bring to work everyday.”
Among Postmedia’s other nominated journalists were the London Free Press’s Randy Richmond, in the investigations category for exposing the wilful indifference that led to the death of a prisoner found unresponsive on the floor of a jail cell, The Vancouver Sun and Province’s Lori Culbert, nominated in the short feature category for a story about a family of hikers dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident, and the Kingston WhigStandard’s Paul Schliesmann, nominated in the local reporting category.
The Globe and Mail secured the most nominations with 19, followed by Montreal’s La Presse, nominated nine times.
The National Newspaper Awards will be handed out in Toronto on May 5. They are open to daily newspapers, news agencies and online news sites the NNA board of governors approve for entry.