Premier Awards - Best Feature Series ( Circulation up to 1499,Circulation 1500 to 3999,Circulation 4000 to 6499,Circulation 6500 to 9999,Digital - Population under 10K,Digital - Population 10-99K)
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Place Name:
First Place
Contestant Name:
Rocky Mountain Outlook (Canmore/Kananaskis/Banff)
Entry Title:
Cathy Ellis – Best Feature Series – Rocky Mountain Outlook
Entry Credit:
Cathy Ellis
Judge Comment:
This series boasts many exemplary successes in covering the dispiriting issue of a wild grizzly population beset on all sides by challenges to their survival.
The reader benefits tremendously from individual cases like that of tragic but all too predictable trajectory of Bear 178. But, even more importantly, the series examines bear conflicts and challenges from 30,000 feet, explaining for the reader the scientific context for the bears’ natural survival challenges and how they’re compounded many times over by ones provided by humans – social media, inconsiderate human behaviour, and changes in tourism patterns.
Although perhaps some entries could have benefited from some editing for brevity, the long list of knowledgeable sources with frankly stunning first-hand anecdotes make each piece highly readable.
I appreciate especially that, more than identifying the problem and lamenting it, the series includes many voices who offer potential solutions, looking to other jurisdictions for alternative approaches.
Congratulations.
Place Name:
Second Place
Contestant Name:
Rocky Mountain Outlook (Canmore/Kananaskis/Banff)
Entry Title:
Grizzly bears back in crosshairs as Alberta lifts hunting ban in select cases
Entry Credit:
Jessica Lee
Judge Comment:
This series provides a masterclass in calling B.S.
Picking up an otherwise obscure order in council and advancing it to an exposé of this scale is the enterprise journalism that everyone in our industry should strive for.
Each story gives room for the government PR apparatus to speak its piece but with impeccable research, keen sources and strong quotes, it is clear who is being held accountable.
The online version of one story is peppered with supplemental data and graphs because showing receipts matters.
Importantly, the story provides a voice – or many voices – for a subject that cannot have one otherwise, either in policy debates or in the media.
Bravo.
Place Name:
Third Place
Contestant Name:
Castlegar News (Castlegar, BC)
Entry Title:
Behind the Fence
Entry Credit:
Betsy Kline
Judge Comment:
It is not an easy to thing to beautifully tell the story of such ugly injustice.
Betsy Kline manages to do that. It is easy to imagine the reporter losing some nights of sleep while working on this series.
Each piece humanely retells the terror that innocent Doukhobor children were subject to at the hands of our own government. The author gives equal weighting to longer-term consequence of that state-sanctioned abuse.
The use of both historic and current photos fills in what the mind’s eye leaves out. And the extra design flourish and haunting Behind the Fence title in the layout help give each piece the gravity it deserves.
While the persecution of the religious sect and the government’s apology are matters of public record, the series’ only noted omission was some more historical context – Who were Doukhobors?
Excellent series.
Competition Comment:
Sometimes an issue is just too big and too complex to fit into a single story.
Usually, the best series come from a reporter who plans a multi-parter in advance, rather than simply submitting several iterative updates on single ongoing story. It shows when the whole is more than the sum of the parts.
The nominees in this year’s competition have expertly researched their subjects, chosen excellent sources and carefully woven their insights into well thought-out feature series.
