Finalists in the 15 categories for the 2024 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 winner in each category will be announced during the October 28th Webster Awards event, a live, in-person gala dinner/awards evening at the Hyatt Regency, Vancouver, no-host reception 4:30 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. with dinner and the awards beginning at 6:00 p.m.
This year’s event will feature Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The evening will be hosted by Chris Gailus, co-anchor of Global’s News at 6 and Clement Tang, news anchor at Fairchild TV.
The 2024 finalists were chosen by the Webster Awards jury, all members who are independent of the Jack Webster Foundation and its board. Submissions were encouraged from print, radio/podcasts, television and online media sources across B.C. that cover news, sports, the arts, business, community issues, and more.
2024 Webster Awards Finalists
Finalists – Best News Reporting of the Year – Print/Digital
-Gordon Hoekstra, Vancouver Sun/The Province for More than just driver error? Why trucks keep hitting B.C. overpasses
-Tyler Harper, Nelson Star for Homelessness and the drug crisis in Nelson
-Katie Hyslop, Jen St. Denis, The Tyee for Exclusive: Audit Reveals Major Failures in MCFD Region Where Boy Died
Finalists – Best News Reporting of the Year – TV/Video
Presented by the Bradbury Family – In Memory of Keith Bradbury
-Michelle Ghoussoub, Lien Yeung, Jon Hernandez, Yvette Brend, Renee Filippone, GP Mendoza, Brady Strachan, Christian Amundson, Chris Corday, Tom Popyk, Corey Bullock, Martin Diotte, Amar Parmar, Jill Constantine, Meera Bains, CBC Vancouver for 2023 B.C. Wildfire Community Coverage
-Penny Daflos, Alissa Thibault, Abigail Turner, St. John Alexander, Ben Miljure, Jordan Jiang, Curtis Allen, CTV New Vancouver for B.C. Wildfire Emergency
-Cassidy Mosconi, Richard Zussman, Troy Charles, Elissa Carpenter, Pat Bell, Mike Timbrell, Justin Okines, Tony Clark, Derek Brade, Global BC for Interior Fires
Finalists – Commentator of the Year/City Mic Award
Presented in Memory of Linda Webster
-Eden Fineday, IndigiNews
-Dorothy Woodend, The Tyee
-Tchadas Leo, CHEK News
Finalists – Excellence in Arts and Culture Reporting
-Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail for The VAG Comes Clean
-Squire Barnes, Global BC for Little Mountain Big Sound
-Cara McKenna, Matt Simmons, Marty Clemens, IndigiNews and The Narwhal for A Stolen Totem Pole Returns to the Nisg̱a‘a Nation
Finalists – Excellence in Business Reporting
Endowed by Jean Cormier
-Francesca Fionda, Lindsay Sample, Jeffrey Jones, Chen Wang, The Narwhal and The Globe and Mail for B.C. is Millions Short on Cleanup Cost for Mines
-Tyler Olsen, Fraser Valley Current for How an Ohio Newspaper Sank a B.C. Publishing Empire
– Aldyn Chwelos, Kristen de Jager, Paul Voll, The Tyee and The Climate Disaster Project for Choked Out: The Wildfire Threat to Tree Planters
Finalists – Excellence in Community Reporting
Presented by the Al Roadburg Foundation
-Mike Howell, Vancouver is Awesome for Vancouver SRO Tenants Reject Toronto Real Estate Firm’s Push for Buyouts
-Stacy Ross, Dean Stoltz, Skye Ryan, Kendall Hanson, Rob Shaw, April Lawrence, Keith Vass, CHEK News for Summer Wildfire Closes Critical Highway on Vancouver Island
-Tyler Harper, Nelson Star for Before he Died, Nelson’s Michael Guy Relied on a Now-closed Support Centre
Finalists – Excellence in Environment Reporting
Presented by the Pacific Salmon Foundation
-Justine Hunter, The Globe and Mail for Trapped in Ice: A Glacial Reveal
-Emily Vance, Megan Thomas, Gian-Paolo Mendoza, Megan Stewart, CBC British Columbia for Parks and Reclamation: How First Nations in B.C. are Taking Back Control of Stewardship and Access in Their Traditional Territories
-Jordan Kovacs, Jimmy Thomson, The Tyee and the Climate Disaster Project for Tragically, B.C. Ignored Lessons of 2009’s Killer Heat Wave
Finalists – Excellence in Feature Reporting – Print/Digital
-J.B. MacKinnon, Hakai Magazine for In Defense of the Rat
-Nancy Macdonald, The Globe and Mail for Gold Diggers in a Cold Sea
-Justine Hunter, The Globe and Mail for Edge of Extinction
Finalists – Excellence in Feature Reporting – Radio/Audio
-Cathy Browne, Jennifer Wilson, CBC Vancouver for Better Late
-Bob Keating, CBC Storylines for A River Shared
-Chris Walker, CBC Kelowna for In the Eye of the Firestorm
Finalists – Excellence in Feature Reporting – TV/Video
-CBC News B.C., CBC British Columbia for A deeper look at the Khalistan movement
-Sonya Kuitenbrouwer, Maddison Buckingham, Aleigha Andres, Grace McLeod, BCIT News for Power of the Paddle
-Alissa Thibault, Sergio Magro, Sharron Bates, Brian Dutkewich, Global BC for Stanley Park Resident
Finalists – Excellence in Health Reporting
-Andrea Woo, The Globe and Mail for Under the Counter: B.C. Pharmacies Offering Kickbacks
-Penny Daflos, CTV News Vancouver for Healthcare Crisis Concealed from the Public
-Andrew MacLeod, The Tyee for Exclusive: Telus Handed B.C. Contract to Provide Eating Disorders Care
Finalists – Excellence in Innovative Journalism
-Ming Wong, Alana Paterson, Susan Krashinsky Robertson, The Globe and Mail for Lining up at the Warehouse Sale
-Stephanie Kwetásel’wet Wood, Michelle Cyca, Lindsay Sample, Karan Saxena, Ainslie Cruickshank, Matt Simmons, Shawn Parkinson, Karlene Harvey, Jesse Winter, Marty Clemens, Jennifer Gauthier, The Narwhal for Nourish: How First Nations are Bringing Food Sovereignty Back to the Table
-Courtney Dickson, Akshay Kulkarni, Arrthy Thayaparan, Bridgette Watson, Jon Azpiri, Michelle Gomez, Rhianna Schmunk, Tanis Fowler, Jan Zeschky, Franny Karlinsky, Andrew McManus, Robert Davidson, Baneet Braich, CBC Vancouver for They Lived, They Were Loved, then Suddenly They Were Gone: Stories of Lives Lost to Toxic Drugs
Finalists — Excellence in Investigative & Enterprise Journalism
Presented by the B.C. Crown Counsel Association
-Lori Culbert, Vancouver Sun/The Province for How the Tragic Overdose Death of a UVIC Student Sparked Change in B.C.
-Cullen Crozier, Kenneth Jackson, APTN for APTN Investigates: Peters Indian Problem
-Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press for A ‘Predator’ at CSIS
Finalists — Excellence in Legal Journalism
Presented by the Law Society of B.C.
-Glenda Luymes, Vancouver Sun/The Province for ‘Revolving Door at the Courthouse’: How a B.C. Man Racked up 21 Impaired Driving Convictions
-Kallan Lyons, Lauren Kaljur, Jacqueline Ronson, The Wren for The Buried History of Tranquille
-Rumina Daya, Richard Zussman, Global BC for Child Killer Name Change
Finalists – Excellence in Reporting in a Language other than English
-Ada Luk, Fairchild Television for Magazine 26 – Chinatown Legacy: A New Generation
-Pooja Sekhon, Harjinder Thind, Gurvinder Hanjra, Parmeet Kamra, CKYE 93.1 & 89.1 RED FM for Has LMIA Program Become a Necessary Evil?
-Kelvin So, Fairchild Television for Magazine 26 – Accessible Cities
Finalists’ information can be found below or see who they are and read/listen to/watch the finalists’ stories here.
Also at the 2024 Webster Awards event on October 28th, the 2024 Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to Belle Puri, the 2024 Bill Good Award will be presented to the Cathy Browne, and the 2024 Shelley Fralic Award will be presented to Isabelle Southcott.
This year’s Webster Awards are made possible by Presenting Sponsors: BCGEU, Concord Pacific, FortisBC, Global Container Terminals Inc., LNG Canada, Port of Vancouver, Resource Works, Rogers, the Urban Development Institute, Pacific Region and West Coast Reduction. Supporting Sponsors: Angus Reid Institute, Beedie, Hanson/Kohan Lawyers, KPU, Langara, Ledcor Group, RedFM, Rennie, Seaspan, Teck Resources, Vancouver Island University and YVR. Webster Award partners are Oh Boy Productions, Glacier Media, and the Vancouver Sun and Province. 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
