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FOURTH ANNUAL JUSTICIA AWARDS PRESENTED FOR LEGAL REPORTING
MONTREAL, August 16, 2003 - Kirk Makin of the Toronto Globe and Mail
and Tasha Kheiriddin of CPAC are the winners of the fourth annual Justicia Awards
for Excellence in Journalism.
Special certificates of merit were also awarded to the Toronto Star
and Danny Braün and Lucie Benoît of Radio-Canada's La Tribune du
Québec.
The awards, whose winners were announced today at the Canadian Bar Association
(CBA) Annual Conference, are sponsored by the Law Commission of Canada, the
CBA, and the federal Department of Justice.
Mr. Makin won in the print category for his provocative January 11, 2003 article
The scales of injustice which critically examined zero tolerance policies
in domestic abuse cases.
The Justicia Award jury praised this thought-provoking article, saying it is
"a brave exploration of the difficult issue of the unforeseen consequences
of zero tolerance in domestic violence." In ranking the journalism first
in its class, the jury said Makin's story "displayed a respect for the
sensitivities of the people involved", while presenting the key points
of the legal issues with remarkable clarity."
The award is Kirk Makin's second consecutive Justicia Award. Last year, he
was recognized for his Jan. 5, 2002 article No Life Like It, which went
behind the scenes of a school for new judges put on by the National Judicial
Institute. It was the first time a journalist has attended the intensive program.
The judges also awarded a certificate of merit to a team of Toronto Star
reporters for its series An investigation into race and crime. The series,
which involved five reporters, a mapping expert, a database specialist and numerous
editors, analyzed over 480,000 arrest records and 800,000 charges contained
in the Toronto Police Service's arrest database. The analysis of police data
suggested blacks were treated more harshly than whites by police.
The jury was impressed by the thorough investigation that was put into this
series, "a project that resulted in high-quality journalism explaining
a facet of the justice system."
This year's winner in the broadcast category is Tasha Kheiriddin, for her show
on CPAC's Legal Talk Métis Rights on Trial. It examined the Supreme
Court of Canada's hearing in the Blais and Powley cases and whether
Canada's Métis have special rights.
The judges said this tightly- focused episode on Métis rights touched
on all aspects of a case before the Supreme Court of Canada. The jury liked
the presentation: "straightforward, informative, and controlled - helping
the viewer to discover and understand the complex issues to be resolved as well
as the possible consequences for the future."
A certificate of merit was awarded to Danny Braün and Lucie
Benoît of Radio-Canada's La Tribune du Québec for their radio documentary
Toute la verité which examined how the jury system worked
in the context of an actual murder case. It talked to several jurors and lawyers
about their experiences.
Said the jury: "This radio story has such a unique quality that, through
innovative testimonials, we are able to live and understand the profound and
agonizing experience of jurors during a trial. Even during the open-line broadcast,
the program takes the opportunity to explain the meaning and essential role
of a jury."
The Justicia Awards recognize outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness
and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles
played by institutions and participants in the legal system.
The criteria for judging entries are accuracy, effectiveness in explaining
legal issues to the public, informational value, insight and originality. This
year's awards cover stories that were published or broadcast between May 16,
2002 and May 15, 2003.
The entries were judged by Claude Bourque of Moncton, former editor in chief
of L'Évangéline et Directeur des Services français
de Radio-Canada aux provinces de l'Atlantique; Dr. A.J. MacLean, former Dean
of Law and Associate Vice President Academic for the University of British Columbia
and former Editor of The Canadian Bar Review; and Justice Johanne Trudel of
the Federal Court of Canada.
The Justicia Awards are sponsored by the Department of Justice, the Law Commission
of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association to acknowledge the important role
that media play in enhancing public understanding of the legal system.
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Ref::
Hannah Bernstein
Canadian Bar Association
(613) 237-2925
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