Citizen reporter honoured for series
Covered police, mental health
After Shaamini Yogaretnam’s series on policing and mental health was published last October, the Citizen reporter’s inbox filled with emails from police officers and their families across Canada who saw themselves in the stories Ottawa officers had shared with her.
She heard, too, from her subjects themselves, who told her of the overwhelmingly positive feedback they received after the articles appeared on the prevalence of mental health problems among police and the stigma that long prevented many from seeking help.
This week, Yogaretnam’s series earned further recognition with the announcement it has won a Joan Gullen Award for Media Excellence from the Ontario Association of Social Workers (Eastern Branch).
“I’m honoured to hear that the series has been recognized for portraying the realities of policing and mental health in Ottawa,” said Yogaretnam, who joined the Citizen on an internship in 2012 and was hired full-time soon after, becoming police and crime reporter in April 2013.
“I was very fortunate to be trusted with telling those stories.”
The award judges praised the three-day Walking the Thin Blue Line series for presenting “a clear, thorough portrayal of the stresses of police work today and the changing approaches of the Ottawa Police Services to the resulting mental health challenges.”
The sponsoring group presents yearly awards for large- and small-circulation media for excellence in covering important social issues.
Also winning for 2014 is Amanda Jette Knox for her Ottawa Family Living Magazine article on raising transgendered children.
The awards will presented on April 23.
Yogaretnam will direct a charitable donation that accompanies her prize to DIFD — Do It For Daron, which works to raise awareness of youth mental health issues.