Journalism students and faculty have won a gold for news reporting in the the annual Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA).
McKenna Hadley-Burke and Karan Saxena took the top prize in the media category for Best Daily News/Sports Coverage, while students and faculty received a further four more nominations.
This is the 14th year in a row that students and faculty from the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media have been been honoured by the awards, which recognize excellence in digital journalism.
The 2021 winners were announced online on February 10, 2022.
Focus on mental health
The award-winning article by Hadley-Burke and Saxena was called Journalists face ‘invisible wounds’ reporting on traumatic stories. It addressed the historical culture of silence towards mental health in North American journalism — and explored the new wave of journalists and researchers who are reconciling with harmful practices and more openly acknowledging the impacts of reporting on trauma.
Hadley-Burke and Saxena took gold in the media category
“It’s an honour to win gold at COPA, and especially fulfilling to know that it speaks to the importance of giving space to student journalism,” Hadley-Burke said.
“Sometimes it takes coming from outside the field to really recognize the problems within it. I’m proud that this piece offers a glimpse into the complexities and hardships of the work that we do as journalists — but I’m saddened to know that this piece is resonating more than ever, as journalists face new levels of public vitriol and cruelty.
“The hidden dangers of the job have, historically, gone largely unacknowledged by the industry at large. It’s a reality Karan and I want to see change during our time in the field — and I hope this piece is a place to start that conversation,” she said.
The story gained significant traction and recognition by journalists and experts across social media platforms.
“It’s really humbling to have this story get such an honourable recognition when journalists in this country are facing an onslaught of harassment and violence,” said Saxena.
“As young journalists entering the field, these issues are becoming more evident, which is why working on this story was so significant for me and McKenna.”
“It’s great to see younger journalists understand the need for self-care and supportive workplaces to protect their mental health”
The piece was produced under the editorial guidance of urban issues/politics writer and adjunct professor, Frances Bula, and the School’s 2021 Asper Visiting Professor and health columnist, André Picard.
“The story explores a timely and important issue, that journalists covering traumatic events – the discovery of mass graves, school shootings, pandemics, the overdose crisis, and more – can suffer trauma themselves,” Picard said.
“It’s great to see younger journalists understand the need for self-care and supportive workplaces to protect their mental health, something the older generations of journalists have often neglected.”
Five nominations in total
Students and faculty received a total of five nominations in the consumer and media categories. There was no separate category for student journalism this year.
Chiara Milfords and Austin Westphal were nominated for Best Investigative Article for their piece The little-known pipeline from B.C. forest to U.K. furnace is growing.
In the Best Local Community News/ Sports – Media category, Pallavi Rao and Katarina Sabados were nominated for their story Laid-off airline workers face uncertainty despite unfolding bailouts, along with Kate Helmore and Andrew Hughes for their piece Crime rates on Vancouver public transit rise in 2020.
Alumna Serena Renner was a finalist in the Feel Good Story in the consumer category for the multimedia project she produced for the Visual Journalism class, called Revive.
Among the other journalism alumni who were finalists were Jacqueline Ronson, Jess Mackie, Lindsay Sample, Lauren Kaljur and the entire Capital Daily team.
