MEDIATHE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS • FALL 2012 • VOLUME 15, NUMBER TWO MEDIA FALL 2012 • VOLUME 15, NUMBER TWO A PUBLICATION OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISTS EDITOR LEGAL ADVISOR ART DIRECTION and DESIGN David McKie Peter Jacobsen, Bersenas David McKie Jacobsen Chouest Thomson Blackburn LL P CONTRIBUTORS EDIOTORIAL BOARD COLUMNISTS: Don Gibb, Stuart Thomson, Fred Vallance-Jones, Chris Cobb ADVERTISING SALES Glen McGregor, Kelly Toughill, Lucas Timmons, Stuart A. Thom- Catherine Ford David McKie son, Stanley Tromp, Stephen J.A. Ward, AWARD WINNERS: Michelle MacAfee 1-613-290-7380 Steve Buist , Alison Crawford , Andrew McIntosh, Andrew Lindsay Crysler Stobo Sniderman, Charles Rusnell, Ken Jackson, Natalie Clancy, John Gushue Rachel Mendleson, Selena Ross, Timothy Sawa, Steve Russell, Rob Cribb Grant Robertson, Ros Guggi, Shawn Jeffords, Rich Lam, Susan Rob Washburn Clairmont, Susan Pigg, Lindsay Kines COVER PHOTO: FORCED OUT: Jenny Hile (left), 19 was forced to move from her mother, Wendy Massine’s, home because budget problems at Commmunity Living B.C. Jenny’s plight was featured in Lindsay Kines’ stories in Victoria’s Times Colonist about reduced support for people with developmental disabilities. Lindsay won the 2011 Michener Award for his reporting. FORCED OUT PHOTO/CREDIT: ADRIAN LAM/TIMES COLONIST PHOTO AT TOP OF PAGE: FIGHTING TO LIVE: Born after just 26 weeks, Ella Carniello needs help to breathe in McMaster Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. Ella’s story was part of The Hamilton Spectator’s Born project, which showed links between poverty Jenny Hile (left), 19 was forced to move from her mother, Wendy Massine’s, home and the health of babies. Born earned Steve Buist and his team the CAJ’s overall 2011 award, the second year in a row he has won the top prize. because budget problems at Commmunity Living B.C. PHOTO/CREDIT: Cathie Coward/The Hamilton Spectator MEDIA is published four times a year by the Canadian Association of Journalists. It is managed and edited independently of the CAJ by Lindsay Kines and its content does not necessarily reflect the views of the association. 2 MEDIA FALL 2012 • VOLUME 15, NUMBER TWO FALL 2012 • VOLUME 15, NUMBER TWO http://www.caj.ca/?p=391 http://www.caj.ca/?p=391 29 OPEN TELEVISION (LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES) - APTN National News - The Carson Affair - Ken Jackson explains how he used his sex-trade industry contacts to tell a story about Bruce Carson, a former top advisor to MEDIA Prime Minister Stephen Harper, that still has Ottawa buzzing. Table of contents 33 SCOOP - CBC Vancouver - When former RCMP officer Catherine Galliford went public with her sexual ha- COLUMNS rassment claims, the floodgates opened. By Natalie Clancy 6 First word By David McKie - Celebrating award-winners. 35 CWA CANADA/CAJ LABOUR REPORTING - Huffington Post Canada - Income inequality and the decline of unions - Former auto sector workers will find it difficult -- if not impossible -- to find similar, well-paying, union- 7 Writer’s toolbox By Don Gibb - Avoid ugly leads. ized jobs. By Rachel Mendleson 11 The back story By Stuart Thomson - Racing to publish the facts of an early-morning shooting. 37 MAGAZINE - Maisonneuve Magazine - Montreal’s snow-removal and ploughing business is dirty and cor- rupt and full of people too scared to go public. By Selena Ross 13 Negotiating for dataBy Glen McGregor - It’s easier than you think. 15 Data Journalism By Fred Vallance-Jones- The CAJ’s computer-assisted reporting award needs a makeover. 39 OPEN TELEVISION (GREATER THAN FIVE MINUTES) - CBC/the fifth estate - Scout’s Honour - Details about years of sexual abuse within Scouts Canada were buried in a “confidential list.” By Timothy Sawa 57 Behind the numbers By Kelly Toughill - Newsrooms are shrinking, but the number of journalism jobs is not. 41 PHOTOJOURNALISM - Portfolio entry - The Toronto Star - Steve Russell 59 Mapping By Stuart A. Thomson - A step-by-step guide to using Google’s Fusion Tables. 61 Net tipsBy Lucas Timmons - Fusion Tables help to tell great stories. 2012 NATIONAL NEWSPAPER AWARD WINNERS 63 Access to informationBy Stanley Tromp - Open data policies may impede freer access to information 43 EXPLANATORY WORK - The Globe and Mail - The story behind Canada’s currency overhaul - Grant Robertson explains how an RCMP raid that never made the headlines forced the 65 Ethics By Stephan J.A. Ward - In praise of impartiality. Bank of Canada to switch from paper to plastic money. 2012 CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF JOURNALISM AWARD WINNERS 45 SPECIAL PROJECT - The Province - BOOMERANGST - With senior care becoming a more pressing concern, 17 OPEN NEWSPAPER AND THE DON MCGILLIVRAY OVERALL WINNER - The Hamilton Spectator - For the sec- The Province began asking questions and looking for answers. The 14-part series engaged readers, forcing B.C.’s ond year in a row, Steve Buist used statistics to draw disturbing connections between poverty and health. government to find solutions. By Ros Guggi 19 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTING - CBC Radio One/Dispatches - The eyes of Rosa and Antonio - Alison Crawford 47 LOCAL REPORTING - Sarnia Observer - HOOKED - With the help of a determined single mother willing to saw it with her own eyes: Antonio Savone and Rosa Gomez’s emotional embrace just before the final stage in share her story, Shawn Jeffords had the central character for his three-part series about a problem few resi- their 35-year quest for justice in Argentina. dents in Sarnia even knew existed. 21 CAJ/MARKETWIRE COMPUTER-ASSSITED REPORTING (CAR) - QMI Agency - On mange bien à Terrebonne 49 NEWS PHOTOGRAPHY - Getty Images -- A photo of a couple kissing during the Vancouver Stanley Cup riots – Eating Well in Terrebonne -Andrew McIntosh and Kinia Adamczyk - Top city managers in the Quebec munici- - At first the picture earned praise, then some suspicion it was fake. By Rich Lam pality of Terrebonne splurged on clothes, restaurants and other perks. By Andrew Mcintosh 51 COLUMNS - Hamilton Spectator - A Cop in Crisis - Susan Clairmont recounts why a police officer’s wife 23 PRINT FEATURE - Montreal Gazette - Andrew Stobo Sniderman witnessed the pain of First Nations peoples opened up to her -- five years after constable Roy Jones killed himself. who testified about their time in Canada’s residential schools. 53 BEAT REPORTING - The Toronto Star - Stories on ageing - Susan Pigg introduced readers to memorable char- 25 OPEN RADIO NEWS/CURRENT AFFAIRS - CBC Edmonton - Crown Conduct - An Alberta Crown prosecutor acters of indomitable spirit. misled the court about the extent of a Mountie’s assault on a prisoner. By Charles Rusnell THE 2012 MICHENER AWARD WINNER 27 REGIONAL TELEVISION - CBC Edmonton -- Porkbarrel politics - For years, Alberta’s ruling Conservative party had been collecting illegal political donations. By Charles Rusnell 55 FORCED MOVE: Times Colonist reporter Lindsay Kines recounts how his stories about mentally disabled adults moved from their group homes forced the province to change its policy. 3 MEDIA FALL 2012 4 FIRST WORD Celebrating this past year’s award winners THE ATKINSON FELLOWSHIP By David McKie step down. to tell a compelling story of survival, IN PUBLIC POLICY In all the award categories, there were justice and hope. also finalists. And although their write-ups The challenge of pitching and telling are not featured in this edition, it’s worth the investigative, enterprise or explana- taking a moment to salute their fine work tory story will always remain and even he link between poverty and mater- and continue to find original stories worth intensify, despite what news managers say Tnal health; the RCMP counterfeit telling. about being committed to original content. raid that forced the Bank of Canada to Increasingly, many of the stories of The reporter who accomplished an Deadline for applications: change the material used to make bank the finalists and award-winners went impressive juggling act has moved on to a notes; disabled people in B.C. forced out beyond their natural medium, expanding larger paper with even more demands; the January 18, 2013 of their group homes. to the Internet and using the advantages reporter who assembled the business plan Founded in 1988, this prestigious These were among the 2012 award- of cyberspace to encourage people to get aired her story on a CBC program that was winning stories that graced the pages of involved. a victim of budget cuts and is no longer on The Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy fellowship promotes liberal journalism newspapers, enriched our airwaves and The online world continues to shape the air. cyberspace. and change the way we do journalism and After reading the accounts of these two is an award for a Canadian journalist to and the progressive values espoused by Without a doubt, this is my favourite this will become a more pressing reality journalists and all other award-winners, edition of Media. It’s an inspiration and as publications like Newsweek go totally and talking to them about their stories, undertake a year-long research project Joseph E. Atkinson, former publisher of a joy to assemble, as the award-winners online, and newspapers like The Globe it’s hard to believe that they will suddenly explained how they told the stories and and Mail and The New York Times create abandon their struggle for excellence and on a public policy issue related to social The Toronto Star. It culminates in the offered tips to journalists trying to do firewalls that force people to pay for web originality. That’s the good news. similar work. content. In addition to these stories, we also have and economic justice. publication of a series of articles in The But unlike past editions, we’ve gone Media made the switch to online a few our slate of columnists, and one new addi- Star, which the journalist may later one step further, partially, in an effort to years back, allowing for a richer variety of tion to the mix: The Globe and Mail’s Stu- underscore the Canadian Association of interactive content.