RCMP officers carry a metal box with the remains of one of the B.C. triple murder suspects Bryer Schmegelsky or Kam McLeod to waiting planes at the Gillam, Man., airport on Aug. 7, 2019. Globe photographer Melissa Tait was a finalist in the Breaking News category for her coverage of the manhunt for the two killers.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail has received 19 nominations for this year’s National Newspaper Awards, including one recognizing the paper’s role in breaking the story of the attempt of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office to pressure then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the prosecution of engineering firm SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
The 19 nominations were the most for any media outlet. Globe foreign correspondent Geoffrey York and photographer Melissa Tait stood out among the winners announced Wednesday, with each receiving three nominations.
“Many of these awards are overwhelmingly due to team efforts and exemplary co-ordination to use all available storytelling techniques and formats," Globe Editor-in-Chief David Walmsley said. "It is also striking this news drops amid the extraordinary coronavirus crisis. I would like to thank our readers for all their support and recognition that the news we are covering is an essential service.”
Based in South Africa, Mr. York earned two nominations for International Reporting, a category entirely clinched by The Globe. The third finalist, Globe Asia correspondent Nathan VanderKlippe, was recognized for his reports on the plights of the Uyghurs, Kashmiris and Rohingya.
Mr. York’s third nomination came in the Business category when he teamed with Matthew McClearn and Stephanie Nolen to investigate the lending practices of Export Development Canada in South Africa and Colombia.
Ms. Tait was a finalist in the Breaking News category with Renata D’Aliesio, Ian Bailey and Andrea Woo, for their coverage of the manhunt for two killers who fled from British Columbia to the northern bush of Manitoba.
The picture Ms. Tait snapped of RCMP officers carrying the remains of the suspects was a finalist in the Breaking News Photo category. Ms. Tait and Ms. D’Aliesio also earned a nomination in the Explanatory Work category for a feature on the role a trapper played in finding the dead suspects.
They were joined in the Explanatory category by Mr. McClearn and Grant Robertson, for a report about the liabilities left by unexploded military ordnance across Canada.
The Globe also clinched two of three finalist spots in in the Politics category. Robert Fife, Steven Chase, Sean Fine and Daniel Leblanc were nominated for their reporting on the SNC-Lavalin story. The other Globe nomination in Politics recognized articles exposing private entities that exploit loopholes in electoral spending laws.
Other Globe nominees were:
Kathy Tomlinson, for investigations uncovering how foreign workers and students are exploited when they come to Canada.
Health reporter Kelly Grant, for her beat coverage, including articles on pharmacare and medical assistance in dying.
Laura Blenkinsop and Christopher Manza, for an interactive web project illustrating the dangers of distracted driving.
Peter Scowen, for editorial writing, including pieces about the blaze at Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral and changes to the law on medically-assisted death.
Caroline Alphonso, for a Short Feature about a special school where children battling debilitating illnesses can keep up with their studies.
Marsha Lederman, for arts coverage, including a feature about Margaret Atwood.
Brian Gable in Editorial Cartooning, the 18th time he has been nominated.
Photographer Francisco Proner, for a picture of a car encased in mud after a dam burst in Brazil.
Other organizations with multiple finalists included La Presse, with 10, and the Toronto Star, with seven.
Finalists are usually announced at a gala but this year’s event has been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak.
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