Journal columnist wins award; photographer, cartoonist recognized at National Newspaper Awards

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Journal columnist Paula Simons won a National Newspaper Award on Friday for her tenacious reporting and unflinching commentary on the life and death of four-year-old Serenity.

Simons’ initial investigation in 2016 into the Indigenous girl’s story, and the disturbing circumstances of her death, pushed the Alberta government to review its child intervention system. In 2017, Simons continued to dig into the case, focusing on the efforts of Serenity’s mother to hold the police and Crown to account for delays. Her NNA recognizes three of those columns.  

“I’m extremely proud of Paula’s unwavering work on the critical issues related to Alberta’s child welfare system,” Journal editor-in-chief Mark Iype said Friday. “Throughout her career as a columnist, she has given voice to the voiceless and this National Newspaper Award recognizes how fortunate we are to have her commentary on the issues that matter to Edmonton and Alberta.”

NNA judges also honoured photographer Larry Wong and cartoonist Malcolm Mayes. Wong received a citation of merit in the news photo category for his powerful image taken during a service to remember three women killed after a stolen truck crashed into their minivan. The image appeared in both the Journal and the Edmonton Sun.

Editorial cartoonist Malcolm Mayes’ citation of merit was for a portfolio of five cartoons that included a scathing indictment of Quebec’s face cover ban, commentary on the entertainment industry’s long silence over predators within and an image that captures the sense of panic we all feel as tensions between North Korea and the U.S. escalated.

In all, Postmedia journalists won four National Newspaper Awards in investigative reporting and opinion writing. The Globe and Mail led all news organizations with six awards. The Toronto Star and Montreal’s La Presse each had four.

The National Post won in the politics category for work by reporter David Akin and columnist Chris Selley that revealed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s secret vacation on the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas. The reporting resulted in Trudeau becoming the first prime minister found to have broken the federal Conflict of Interest Act.

Dan Fumano and Matt Robinson of the Vancouver Sun/Province won project of the year for their extensive probe into the case of Phillip Tallio, who still maintains his innocence after 34 years of incarceration for the murder of a child.

The Ottawa Citizen’s Christina Spencer won the Claude Ryan Award for editorial writing for pieces about Ontario’s long-term care facilities, federal tax changes for corporations and a proposed Ottawa homeless shelter.

Postmedia journalists were finalists in eight other categories.

The NNAs, now in their 69th year, were handed out at a ceremony in Toronto.