Finalists for 2020 Webster Awards Announced

VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 12, 2020 /CNW/ - The finalists in the 14 different categories for the 2020 Webster Awards, Western Canada's preeminent journalism awards, were announced today.  The awards recognize excellence in journalism in B.C.  All finalists will be celebrated, and the one winner in each category will be announced during the December 8th online awards ceremony, 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time.  This online event is free for everyone to watch and can be accessed at this web address:  https://www.ohboy.ca/webster-awards.

Submissions were encouraged from print, radio/podcasts, television and online media sources that cover news, sports, the arts, business, community issues, and more.

2020 Webster Awards Finalists

Finalists - Best Breaking News – Online/Print

• Brent Jang, Nancy Macdonald, Wendy Stueck, Jimmy Jeong, The Globe and Mail for Wet'suwet'en Protest.
• Mike Hager, Ian Bailey, Andrea Woo, Rafal Gerszak, Chad Hipolito, Jana Pruden, Renata D'Aliesio, Melissa Tait, Justin Ling, The Globe and Mail for Manhunt.
• Scott Brown, Tiffany Crawford, Nick Eagland, Keith Fraser, Dan Fumano, Nathan Griffiths, Gordon Hoekstra, Stephanie Ip, Glenda Luymes, Gordon McIntyre, Derrick Penner, Jennifer Saltman, Rob Shaw, Vancouver Sun/The Province for B.C. Pandemic 2020.

Finalists - Best Breaking News – Radio

• Gord Macdonald, Janet Brown, Terry Schintz, John Copsey, Erin Ubels, Srushti Gangdev, Robyn Crawford, Emily Lazatin, AM980 CKNW for Northern B.C. Murders.
• Gord Macdonald, Janet Brown, Terry Schintz, John Copsey, Erin Ubels, Srushti Gangdev, Robyn Crawford, Emily Lazatin, Neetu Garcha, AM980 CKNW for Metro Vancouver Transit Strike.
• Sonia Aslam, Alison Bailey, Marcella Bernardo, Tim James, Martin MacMahon, Cormac MacSweeney, Peter Wagner, NEWS1130 for Canada's First COVID-19 Death.

Finalists - Best Breaking News – TV

• CTV Vancouver News Team, CTV Vancouver for State of Emergency – The Pandemic Arrives in B.C.
• Rumina Daya, Sarah MacDonald, Tanya Beja, Nadia Stewart, Luca Sgaetti, Ted Anhorn, Chris Koster, Mike Louie, Sergio Magro, Justin Okines, Allan Coen, Global News for Northern B.C. Manhunt.
• Paul Johnson, Sarah MacDonald Editor: Luca Sgaetti, Cody Chaban, Darrell Patton, Global News for Snowbirds Crash.

NEW THIS YEAR – Finalists - Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Reporting

• Jodie Martinson, Stephen Quinn, Theresa Duvall, Anita Bathe, Mike Killeen, Mark Gryski, N.J. McDonnell, Mark Fairfield, Ross Bragg, Will Howie, Greg Kisser, Matt Brown, Richard Grundy, Fred Gagnon, Ken Leedham, Martin Diotte, Eric Pankratz, Sean MacLaren, CBC Vancouver for When is Enough Enough? A CBC Town Hall from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
• Jared Qwustenuxun Williams, The Discourse for Building Bridges Through Curiosity in Cowichan.
• Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun/The Province for Tamara and her Trans Drop-In.

Finalists - Best Reporting – Chinese Language

• Annie Pui Shan Law, Fairchild Television for Magazine 26 - Death: The Elephant in the Room.
• Jocelyn Wong, Fairchild Television for Magazine 26-Silver Alert.
• Yuji Zhang, Kristin Johnson, Guo Ding, Nathen Sekhon, Richard Tang, Ricky Tong, Omni Camera Crew, OMNI TV for 20 Years of Vancouver Chinatown's Revitalization: Where Will It Lead?

Finalists – Best Community Reporting

• Sarah Penton, Josh Pagé, CBC Kelowna for Recovery: Stories from the Ashes.
• Marty Hastings, Kamloops This Week for Dalkes lose son, brother to fentanyl — 'This part of me is missing'.
• Kelsie Kilawna, Chehala Leonard, Athena Bonneau, Lindsay Sample, IndigiNews Okanagan for Sharing Indigenous News and Perspectives in the Okanagan.

Finalists – City Mike Award – Commentator of the Year

• John Gleeson, Coast Reporter.
• Wawmeesh Hamilton & Gordon Loverin, CBC Vancouver for Urban Nation.
• Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee.

Finalists - Excellence in Business, Industry, Labour & Economics Reporting

• Jimmy Thomson, The Narwhal for 'You're out there alone': whistleblowers say workplace abuse hides true impacts of B.C.'s trawl fishery.
• Shannon Paterson, Ross McLaughlin, St. John Alexander, Jon Woodward, Allison Hurst, David Molko, Andrew Weichel, Bob Mackin, CTV Vancouver for Economic Catastrophe - BC Business Faces the Pandemic.
• Dan Fumano & Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun/The Province for Blindsided: BC's Condo Insurance Crisis.

Finalists - Excellence in Science, Technology, Health & Environment Reporting

• Michele Brunoro, CTV Vancouver for The 3800 Club - My Journey With Cancer.
• Emma Gilchrist, Sarah Cox, Taylor Roades, The Narwhal for Canada's Forgotten Rainforest.
• Andrew Nikiforuk & Amorina Kingdon, Hakai Magazine for From Berth to Death.

Finalists - Excellence in Legal Journalism

• Lori Culbert & Dan Fumano, Vancouver Sun/The Province for 20 Silent Years of Sexual Abuse.
• Carol Linnitt, Emma Gilchrist, Judith Lavoie, Louis Bockner, The Narwhal for The Tsilhqot'in battle against the New Prosperity Mine.
• Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun for British Columbians Fight U.S. Billionaire for 'Right to Roam' in the Wilderness.

Finalists - Excellence in Digital Journalism

• Team Web B.C., CBC British Columbia for Tracking COVID-19 in B.C.
• Jesse Lupini, Koby Michaels, Lucas Kavanagh, Jeanette Ageson, Chris Cheung, David Beers, Robyn Smith, Paul Willcocks, Mashal Butt, Paul Willcocks, The Tyee, for COVID-19 Multimedia Explainers.

Finalists - Best Feature/Enterprise Reporting – Online/Print

• Amy Smart, The Canadian Press for COVID-19 One Case.
• Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun for Anatomy of Money Laundering in B.C. Real Estate: 12 cases, $1.7 billion, 20 countries and 30 banks.
• Katie Hyslop, The Tyee for Undone: A Newcomer's Story.

Finalists - Best Feature/Enterprise Reporting – Radio/Podcast

• Angela Sterritt, CBC Vancouver for Racism at BMO.
• Wawmeesh Hamilton, Rafferty Baker, Joan Webber, CBC Radio, The Current for Not Alone.
• Francesca Fionda & Mitchell Stuart, Attention Control/CTV for The data on us.

Finalists - Best Feature/Enterprise Reporting – TV/Video

• Scott Roberts & Jon Woodward, CTV Vancouver for Discreditable Conduct - Sexual Harassment at the VPD.
• Michele Brunoro, David Molko, Allison Hurst, CTV Vancouver for Failing Our Most Vulnerable - COVID-19 in B.C. Care Homes.
• Christian Amundson, Liam Britten, Fiona Hopewell Jensen, Maggie MacPherson, Belle Puri, Eric Rankin, Paisley Woodward, CBC Vancouver for 35-Minute Rescue Delay Prompts Ministry Investigation.

Also, during the awards broadcast the 2020 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to John Daly, presently with 980 CKNW, and the 2020 Bill Good Award will be presented to Candis Callison, Associate Professor UBC School of Journalism, Writing, and Media & Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies.  The broadcast will be hosted by Anita Bathe, co-host and front-line investigative reporter, CBC Vancouver News.

This year's Webster Awards are made possible by BCGEU, BCIT, FortisBC, Global Container Terminals Inc., Google, the Jim Pattison Group, LNG Canada, Port of Vancouver, Rogers Sports and Media, and UDI.  Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the Jack Webster Foundation.

The Jack Webster Foundation was established in 1986, upon the retirement of its namesake, who was Western Canada's best-known and most influential reporter, in order to foster and celebrate excellence in journalism, protect the public interest for British Columbian's, and create a community where trusted outstanding journalism thrives.

SOURCE Jack Webster Foundation

Janet Mitchell, Executive Director, Jack Webster Foundation, T 604-603-4218, E [email protected], W www.jackwebster.com