The 2013 Canadian Hillman Award

This is the 3rd year that the Hillman Foundation has been honouring Canadian journalists and I have to say that this year was the best so far. I feel honoured to be included and I have Andrea to thank for that. It continues to help me raise my personal standards and expectations.

Started in 1950, The Hillman Foundation has recognized some of the brightest talent in the U.S. for their insightful journalism. The Hillman Award and "The Sidney" are highly respected honours.  Up here in (currently cold) Canada, there have been three winners sine it was introduced in 2011.

The first winner was Steve Buist of the Hamilton Spectator for his Code Red expose. In 2012 the CBC's fifth estate team of Diana Swain, Timothy Sawa, and Angela Gilbert took it for their "Scouts Honour" work. And it was great to see previous winners at this years event. I think the turnout was bigger than before and the mix of people was amazing.

I imagine winning the 3rd Canadian Hillman was harder than it was in the previous 2 editions. The number of submissions was significantly higher, the quality of all of them was on par. Honourable mentions were stories that needed to be revealed and are very telling about the importance of journalism at these levels.

If you have any doubt, check them out.
Katie DeRosa, Special Report: An investigation of Canada's refugee policy, Times-Colonist
Elise Stolte, Why aren't First Nation's kids in school? Edmonton Journal

And the winner is:
It's a story that's been brewing for a couple of years and really needed some in depth knowledge and experience to reveal. All of the layers have yet to be peeled back although it seems it's close to the breaking point. The idea and core principles of democracy as we know it were shaken by these events. And yet... who knows what the final outcome will be. The story goes on.

Congratulations to Glen McGregor and Stephen Maher, Investigation of robocalls and voters suppression in the 2011 federal election

2012 Canadian Hillman Prize Awarded

Tonight was the presentation of the second Canadian Hillman Prize, an honour bestowed on journalists for their integrity and determination in delivering messages that aren't always easy to accept. The prize is well earned and has a deep pool of previous recipients. In Canada though, it's fairly new and is largely due to the efforts of people like Alex Dagg, Bruce Raynor and the talented people they work with.

In 2011 the honour went to a dedicated individual who revealed an amazing insight. Scott Buist of the Hamilton Spectator told a story no one had discovered before and it's as powerful a message today as it was when he wrote about it. This year, a strong team from the CBC was selected by the judges out of a much larger pool. The judges had to review more submissions and determine which one would be bestowed the honour... they picked the fifth estate team of Diana Swain, Timothy Sawa, and Angela Gilbert for their "Scout's Honour" episode. A controversial topic, a daring exposé and one that opened up a channel for others to let out their pain. Brave. Brave all around and a well deserved honour for the fifth estate team.

Last year I wrote about how this award might influence my perspective on the journalism I do and I can definitely say it has had an effect. While I'm not digging into controversy I am applying the integrity I see and trying to honour this in my small way. And that even extends to be being a "recorder of events" that I was "just" a participant in with no obligation.

I was humbled, honoured, and happy to participate. Thank you Sidney.

Inspiring - The Inaugural Canadian Sidney Hillman Award

I had the honour of attending the inaugural Hillman Prize Canada presentation ceremony held at the Steam Whistle Brewery tonight. And I found it a very inspiring event, as well as timely.

The Sidney Hillman Foundation was established in 1950 in honour of Sidney Hillman (the founder and president of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America). This American award has been handed out annually to recognize outstanding achievement from "journalists, writers and public figures whose work fosters social and economic justice". The list of previous winners is impressive; Woodward & Bernstein, Cronkite, Bill Moyers, far too many amazing journalists to list.

Thanks to the work of Alex Dagg (Canadian Director of Workers United) and Bruce Raynor (President of the Hillman Foundation) the first Canadian Hillman Prize was awarded tonight. The photo is of Mr. Raynor speaking to the approximately 100 invited guests. I only had my iPhone, so the quality is what it is.

The winner was Steve Buist from the Hamilton Spectator for his "Code Red" piece on the social fabric of the city of Hamilton and the impact of financial imbalance between neighbourhoods. Working with Neil Johnston they were able to map a number of health characteristics and illustrate them on an interactive map. One startling fact that was exposed: a 21 year difference in life expectancy from one end of the scale to the other. A generation lost, within a thriving city in a first world country.

There was also an Honourable Mention award given to the team of Tyler Walsh, Helen Fallding, and photographer Joe Bryksa from the Winnipeg Free Press for the newspaper and video pieces entitled "No Running Water". Their in-depth coverage of the effect of very limited running water in First Nation communities is both shocking and telling. It caught the attention of the judges who requested that an Honourable Mention be awarded.

I know I've talked about being a journalist (and I did cover events in the mid 70s for the Midland Times in addition to my cycle racing coverage) however my current thoughts of being a sports journalist covering bike races feels very small compared to the importance of the commentary presented by these talented individuals. I take it as inspiration, and look forward to seeing what I can do with it.

Thank you, Sidney Hillman.