StarPhoenix, Leader-Post receive National Newspaper Award nominations
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For coverage of the inquests into the James Smith Cree Nation mass killings, and for a feature into undercover police work pursuing a killer, reporters with the Saskatoon StarPhoenix and Regina Leader-Post have received National Newspaper Award (NNA) nominations in one of the country’s most prestigious journalism competitions.
Julia Peterson of the StarPhoenix was nominated in the local reporting category for “all-encompassing coverage of the two inquests into the James Smith Cree Nation mass killings,” NNA organizers said in the announcement.
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On Sept. 4, 2022, 11 people, ranging in age from 23 to 78 years old, were killed and 18 were injured when Myles Sanderson went on a rampage at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon. A pair of inquests took place last year in January and February.
Brandon Harder of the Leader-Post was nominated in the long feature category for a “painstaking recreation of what happens when police go undercover, seeking to wring out a confession from a cold-case murderer,” the NNAs said in the announcement.
Harder’s story documents the case of Joseph George Thauberger, a man who was eventually convicted of the 1997 murder of his brother, which he confessed to near the conclusion of a Regina police operation known as UCO Thaw.
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The Saskatchewan nominations are two of 10 received by Postmedia journalists. Other outlets from Postmedia to receive nominations were the Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun with three, Halifax Chronicle Herald with two, and the National Post, Ottawa Citizen/Ottawa Sun and Vancouver Sun/The Province with one each.
“We are stoked by these nominations and the recognition of Julia and Brandon’s exceptional reporting,” said Steve Bartlett, the interim executive editor of the Leader-Post and StarPhoenix.
“These are just two examples of the quality journalism coming out of our Saskatchewan newsrooms.”
The StarPhoenix and Leader-Post had previously been honoured for their joint coverage of the James Smith Cree Nation killings, receiving the NNA for the breaking news category at the 2023 ceremony.
A total of 83 journalists and nine team submissions were named finalists in 23 categories this year. They were chosen out of 864 entries from 82 news organizations.
The NNAs were established by the Toronto Press Club in 1949. The awards honour the best journalism from Canada’s daily newspapers as well as community papers and digital organizations that publish original content at least five days a week.
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Winners of the NNAs will be announced April 25 at a gala event in Montreal.
The Globe and Mail garnered a leading 16 nominations, followed by the Toronto Star with 15 and La Presse with 13. The Canadian Press received four nominations.
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