The 海角社区官网Star won a prestigious National Newspaper Award on Friday night for the paper鈥檚 months-long coverage of the childhood sexual abuse Andrea Robin Skinner suffered at the hands of her stepfather, who was married to Canadian literary icon and Nobel laureate Alice Munro.
The award, presented to reporters Deborah Dundas and Betsy Powell in the Project of the Year category, was one of six NNAs the Star won for its journalism in 2024. Recognizing the best journalism in Canada, the awards were handed out at a gala event at the Montreal Marriott Chateau Champlain hotel.
Judges credited the Star for engaging most of its newsroom to cover 鈥渆very nuance and implication of the family鈥檚 experience,鈥 after Skinner, Munro鈥檚 youngest daughter, revealed the abuse that began when she was nine years old to a Star journalist when her pleas to other journalists and lawyers to expose the truth were ignored for years.
Andrea Robin Skinner, the youngest of Canadian literary icon Alice Munro鈥檚 daughters, suffered childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. Her story, and the Star’s months-long coverage last year about her ordeal, won the paper the National Newspaper Award for Project of the Year on Friday night.
Steve Russell/海角社区官网Star鈥淎s the editor, I couldn鈥檛 be prouder of our team,鈥 said Nicole MacIntyre, the Star鈥檚 editor-in-chief.
鈥淲e do this work for our readers and the communities we serve, not for awards 鈥 but it鈥檚 incredibly meaningful to be recognized alongside some of the top journalists in the country,鈥 she said.
鈥淭he range of stories honoured tonight 鈥 from investigations that drove change to deeply reported pieces that gave voice to important issues 鈥 reflects the very best of what the Star stands for,鈥 said MacIntyre. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a reminder of the power of strong journalism 鈥 and what a privilege it is to be part of it.”
Veteran Star reporter Robert Cribb was a double winner on Friday night.
Veteran Star reporter Robert Cribb was a double National Newspaper Award winner on Friday night.
Richard Lautens/海角社区官网StarCribb, and a team from the Investigative Journalism Bureau that included Max Binks-Collier, Masih Khalatbari, Charlie Buckley and Habiba Nosheen, won in the business category for their reporting on Canada鈥檚 鈥渆xploitative鈥 clinical trial industry.
Cribb also won in the investigations category, alongside Wendy-Ann Clarke, Declan Keogh and Owen Thompson of the Investigative Journalism Bureau for their reporting on a nationally funded mental-heath care program for First Nations and Inuit people that approved therapists with troubling backgrounds.
Former Star reporter Rachel Mendleson, along with聽photographer R.J. Johnston, won the NNA in the politics category聽for their coverage of Pickering city council and the disruptive alt-right movement.
Richard Lautens/海角社区官网Star
Star photographer R.J. Johnston shared the NNA in the politics category with reporter Rachel Mendleson for their coverage of Pickering city council.
Richard Lautens/海角社区官网StarFormer Star reporter Rachel Mendleson and photographer R.J. Johnston picked up the award in the politics category for their coverage of Pickering city council and the disruptive alt-right movement.
Jordan Himelfarb, Opinion editor at the Star, won the NNA in the short feature category for his story about 18-year-old world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
Richard Lautens/海角社区官网StarJordan Himelfarb, Opinion editor at the Star, was awarded an NNA in the short feature category for his story about 18-year-old world chess champion Gukesh Dommaraju.
The Star鈥檚 Peter McKnight won the NNA for editorial writing for pieces about Medical Assistance in Dying, health disparities between Inuit people and the rest of Canadians, and problems with Ontario鈥檚 approach to screening criminal charges.
Susan Clairmont, of the Hamilton Spectator, a Torstar newspaper, won in the beat reporting category 鈥渇or her exclusive reporting and authoritative analysis as a court reporter,鈥 according to the judges.
The Journalist of the Year award went to Aaron Beswick of the Chronicle Herald in Halifax, N.S., for his coverage of illegal activities in the province’s lobster and eel fisheries, including poaching, boats and buildings being burned, and the emergence of organized crime and international smuggling operations.
The awards, established by the 海角社区官网Press Club in 1949 to encourage excellence in reporting, were selected by a three-judge panel in each of 23 categories from among 864 entries. There were 69 finalists representing 26 news organizations.
The Star originally received 15 NNA nominations across 12 categories. Torstar newspapers the Hamilton Spectator and Waterloo Record also received a combined three nominations.
The Globe and Mail, which led with 16 nominations, won nine NNAs on Friday night, including one shared with the Chronicle Herald. Other multiple winners included La Presse, Reuters and The Chronicle Herald, which each picked up two awards.
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