The National Observer has won a prestigious citation of merit at the annual Michener Awards for Managing Editor Mike De Souza’s NEB-shattering investigative series, The Charest Affair.
“The little engine that could!” said Governor General David Johnston, as he congratulated Observer founder and editor-in-chief Linda Solomon Wood.
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“This was possible because National Observer asked tough questions about private meetings between federal officials and industry,” De Souza said. “We didn’t settle for boilerplate lines, talking points, or excuses. We dug for the truth, and we found proof that a federal government organization—an independent tribunal—had misled the public and provided false information.”
“Often we focus on the dangers and risks of the digital revolution, from the ‘fake news’ phenomenon to what it’s done to ad revenues,” Solomon Wood added. “Tonight’s a chance to recognize how the web has also opened the doors wide to a new breed of journalists, new models of journalism, and new opportunities for storytelling.”
Last month, De Souza’s work on The Charest Affair earned him an outstanding investigative journalism award from the Canadian Association of Journalists.
The Michener is the equivalent of a Pulitzer gold medal for public service for a U.S. publication. This year’s top honours went to the London Free Press.
