2020 Premier Awards - Best Local Civic Journalism ( Circulation 10000 to 12499,Circulation 12500 to 17499,Circulation 17500 and over)
Back
Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
Cowichan Valley Citizen (Duncan, BC)
Entry Title:
Outdoor vendors upset over new COVID-19 regulations that banish them from markets
Entry Credit:
Robert Barron
Judge Comment:
Truly an unbiased article that shows multiple perspectives. The piece of writing is concise and unbiased. The article shares personal stories of the impact regulations had on their businesses. Tremendous comparison given by Robin Round who said, "What they are doing is discriminating against the small B.C. businesses under the guise of protecting us from COVID-19."
This quote is powerful and is balanced later in the article when the Ministry of Health said farmers markets must only sell food items. It takes opinions you can sympathize with and also shows the reasons why both sides of the topic feel the way they do. It's difficult to share how well this article does staying very specific, concise, and to the point; meanwhile, it shows multiple perspectives and engages the reader.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
Peninsula News Review (Sidney, BC)
Entry Title:
Collecting empty cans takes a toll on Sidney senior
Entry Credit:
Wolfgang Depner
Judge Comment:
One of the best human-interest articles that I’ve read in a long time. The article toes the lines on the concept of empathy and facts. Initially, the human desire is to want to help the senior who is the subject of the article. Once all the facts are presented, every reader is able to make their own perspective on this issue. The story revolves around a multiple part series that shows every possible angle within the issue.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
Nanaimo News Bulletin (Nanaimo, BC)
Entry Title:
City long-listed 38 possible sites for supportive housing complex
Entry Credit:
Nicholas Pescod
Judge Comment:
The article gives multiple perspectives. Initially, the reader sees the council’s decision and they rom their own view after. Councillor Thorpe clearly explains the reasons for his vote which allows the reader to see the issue from multiple perspectives. The article’s strength is showing quotes from different perspectives involved. The article includes in-camera information which is often highly sensitive but gives the public a true understanding of what was going on behind closed doors. The article is highly influential to the local population and is extremely well-written.
Competition Comment:
Every article was a pleasure to read. It is important to me to see the issue presented from both sides. Also, a longer article is not a better article. The more concise the article, while including all the relevant information, the better. Some article were also not highly local focused. In this category, local is the key word. However, the local articles that could be understood by the broader population were more effective. I would like to say congratulations to every participant.
