Media Awards: Journalists can submit their nursing or health-care story today

TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2024 /CNW/ - The annual Media Awards competition honouring outstanding nursing and health-care journalism is now open. Organized by the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), members of the media are invited to submit their stories by Friday, Feb. 28, 2025 via an online submission form.

During the past year, journalists have brought critical nursing and health issues to the forefront, such as unsafe staffing levels, capacity limits and overreliance on agency nursing in hospitals, Canada's pharmacare plan, health concerns for Indigenous communities, investor-driven health-care, the primary care crisis, new prescribing powers for registered nurses, and the expanded scope of nurse practitioners.

Journalists have also provided a health perspective on critical societal issues, such as homelessness, racism and discrimination, intimate partner violence, intensifying climate disasters, misinformation and other harms of social media, inequality and wealth concentration, urban sprawl and erosion to the natural environment, and the decline of investigative journalism and local news outlets.

"Journalism plays a vital role in our health and wellbeing. It's important to recognize the incredible work journalists do every day covering health care and how societal changes impact people's health," says RNAO President and NP Lhamo Dolkar. "They tell the stories of those affected by Ontario's toxic drug crisis, as well as those who've been especially hit hard by environmental and social determinants of health, including the climate crisis and affordable housing. They shed light on the urgent action needed to solve the crisis in primary care. We encourage reporters to submit their work."

An independent committee of reporters and nurses selected by RNAO will judge stories published or broadcast in Ontario in 2024. Past winners include journalists from CTV News Kitchener, Global News, Hamilton Spectator, The Recorder and Times, Toronto Star, and Waterloo Region Record.

"We're excited to kick off this year's competition and recognize the best in nursing and health-care journalism. From the best in-depth feature to the best podcast episode, we look forward to honouring this year's winners," says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris Grinspun.

Nominations for the Media Awards must be received via the online submission form no later than Feb. 28, 2025.  

Categories for the competition include:

Community newspaper

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Daily newspaper

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Radio

• Best news report
• Best in-depth report or series

Television

• Best news report
• Best in-depth report or series

Online

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

Podcast

• Best episode
• Best series

Multicultural

• Best news story
• Best in-depth feature or series

RNAO will present the awards to this year's winners during a virtual gathering in June 2025. For the complete list of criteria and to fill out an entry form, visit RNAO.ca/about/awards/media-awards.

The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public we serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram.

SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

For more information, please contact: Victoria Alarcon, Communications Officer/Writer Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 211, 416-408-5610, [email protected]; Marion Zych, Director of Communications, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO), 1-800-268-7199 ext. 209, 416-408-5605, 647-406-5605 (cell), [email protected]