Reporting by UBC Journalism students and faculty on the treatment of mental illness globally garnered an Online Journalism Award (OJA).
The Out of the Shadows project won in the Pro-Am Student category of the OJAs, the most prestigious awards in digital journalism.
Dave Rummel, executive producer on Out of the Shadows, picked up the award alongside School of Journalism director and associate professor Alfred Hermida.
In April, the Out of Shadows project by students by the School’s International Reporting Program won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award.
“The multimedia format allowed the project team to present compelling, detailed stories about a complex topic,” said associate professor Peter Klein, who leads the International Reporting Program.
“Our students once again demonstrated that they have the digital sophistication to use web-based journalism to highlight important, neglected stories around the world.”
Another student project was nominated for an OJA. Students and faculty of the Reporting on Indigenous Communities course were a finalist in another student category for their project on Indigenous sexuality, All My Intimate Relations.
UBC Journalism graduate, Emi Sasagawa, was part of the News 21 team nominated in the Pro-Am student category for America’s Weed Rush.
Two Canadian winners
The OJAs are presented by the Online News Association, the world’s largest association of online journalists which aims to inspire innovation and excellence among journalists to better serve the public.
“It is tremendous to see our faculty and students recognized at such a high profile international event,” said Hermida. “The Online Journalism Awards showcase the best work from the brightest and bold minds in digital media.”
The award was presented in Denver on September 17 at a ceremony that marked the climax of the annual Online News Association Conference.
The UBC Graduate School of Journalism was one of the two Canadians winners of the night. The Globe and Mail won in the Topical Reporting category (large) for its in-depth interactive on missing and murdered Indigenous women.
The big winner of the night was the The New York Times with five awards. Among the other winners were The Texas Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The Huffington Post.
