La Presse reporters and photographers earned 14 selections at the prestigious Canadian Journalism Competition. This is the best daily harvest in 15 years.
“There is something to be proud of, because these 14 nominations crown the work of all those in the running, but also of all the journalists, photographers and craftsmen who work in the newsroom of La Presse”, reacted the assistant editor, François Cardinal, calling the harvest “exceptional”.
“For every work, every person nominated, a dedicated team works hard behind the scenes to ensure that work is widely shared and well showcased,” he said.
Selected for the 15th time, columnist Isabelle Hachey is in the running in three categories, including the Norman Webster Prize for her numerous reports in Ukraine at the start of the war and the George Brown Prize for her major investigation, carried out with the journalist from 98, 5 FM Marie-Ève Tremblay, who revisited the Julien Lacroix affair.
Ms. Hachey is also a finalist for the Mary Ann Shadd Cary Award for her chronicles of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Quebec legislation surrounding the parental rights of children born of rape, and the husband of an Indigenous woman who died in hospital under racial slurs from nursing staff.
In the same category, international columnist Laura-Julie Perreault stood out with a series of columns on the war in Ukraine.
The great reporter Katia Gagnon has collected her 7th nomination for the prestigious competition. She earned a place among the finalists for the Joan Hollobon Prize, which rewards specialized journalism, thanks to her in-depth coverage of the youth protection system in Quebec.
Selected for the 10th time, investigative journalist Caroline Touzin is a finalist in the same category, thanks to a series of stories highlighting the impacts of deadly violence and rising child abuse on Montreal hospitals during the pandemic.
Additionally, investigative team leader Vincent Larouche earned a selection in the “Supporting Reporting” category thanks to his coverage of a mysterious criminal trial from which traces had been erased.
In total, the judges reviewed a total of 923 entries from 76 news organizations.
In the running for the John Wesley Dafoe Prize, parliamentary correspondent Fanny Lévesque stood out with various reports on the impact of Bill 79 on Indigenous families and on the 16-hour shifts imposed on nurses.
For their reports on the arrest of three Saint-Laurent high school basketball coaches for crimes of a sexual nature, investigative journalist Daniel Renaud and reporters Alice Girard-Bossé and Henri Ouellette-Vézina are selected in the breaking news category.
Investigative journalist Charles-Éric Blais-Poulin and cultural journalist Marissa Groguhé are finalists in the “Culture” category for their reporting on a wave of suicides that hit scene artisans during the pandemic.
The Canadian Journalist Competition also marked the 16th career selection of La Presse cartoonist Serge Chapleau.
Chief editorialist Stéphanie Grammond is in the running for the Claude Ryan Prize thanks to her editorials on the war in Ukraine, the construction of the REM and the protection of French.
Also on the editorial team, journalist Vincent Brousseau-Pouliot stood out in the “Explanatory text” category for his analysis of data on immigration to Quebec.
Finally, let’s highlight photographer Robert Skinner’s selection in the “General News Photo” category for a shot of a young homeless man doing somersaults while hospitalized with COVID.
Winners will be announced at a gala in Toronto on May 5.
