NNC and JHR announce winners of the Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting
TORONTO, Oct. 5, 2017 /CNW/ - The National NewsMedia Council of Canada (NNC), in partnership with Journalists for Human Rights (JHR), is pleased to announce that Sarah Niedoba and Danielle Klein, from The Varsity, have been selected as joint winners of the Fraser MacDougall Prize for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting.
These two young journalists have won this year's award for their piece entitled 'A Constitutional Black Hole', which examined the evolving nature of personal privacy juxtaposed against the growth of cloud-storage technology.
This year's panel of judges were impressed by the originality of the topic and the depth of reporting undertaken by Niedoba and Klein. In addition, judges thought the extension of 'privacy rights' into the conversation about 'human rights' was one that heeded the spirit and intent of the MacDougall Award.
"This piece of journalism perfectly captures why the NNC and JHR are glad to be working together," says John Fraser, president and CEO of the NNC. "We've jointly been able to put the spotlight on the importance of young journalists bringing forward new perspectives on dynamic new social issues. This is a great example of a topic that has nary been discussed at length but which carries tremendous impact."
Rachel Pulfer, the executive director of JHR "Journalists for Human Rights is thrilled to support outstanding human rights reporting by student human rights journalism in this way" says Pulfer. "As the next generation of media talent in Canada, we look forward to seeing their future coverage!"
The Fraser MacDougall Award for Best New Canadian Voice in Human Rights Reporting is an annual prize that recognizes an exceptional piece of human rights-focussed journalism published in campus-based media. In addition to the $1,000 cash prize, winners are recognized for their achievement at the annual Journalists for Human Rights Gala. The winning story is also re-published in The Toronto Star.
The MacDougall prize is made possible through the generous endowment of the late Fraser MacDougall, who had a distinguished career in journalism, chiefly with The Canadian Press. As well, MacDougall was the first executive secretary of the Ontario Press Council and, in that role, laid the foundation of a respective organization.
The National NewsMedia Council
The National NewsMedia Council is a voluntary, self-regulatory body of the news media industry in Canada. It was established in 2015 with two main aims: to promote ethical practices within the news media industry and to serve as a forum for complaints against its members.
The Council represents the public and the media in matters concerning the democratic rights of freedom of speech and freedom of the media.
Journalists for Human Rights
Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) is Canada's leading media development organization. We train journalists to report on human rights and governance issues in their communities. When the media puts a spotlight on human rights, people start talking about the issues and demanding change. A strong, independent media is a referee between governments and citizens. When human rights are protected, governments are more accountable and people's lives improve.
-Thank you to CNW for sponsoring this release-
SOURCE Journalists for Human Rights (JHR)
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