Your Victoria News staff have gained national recognition for their work covering the Victoria and Esquimalt communities.
News Media Canada announced its 2018 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards winners Monday and News multimedia journalist Kristyn Anthony took first place in the Best News Story category for publications with a circulation of 12,500 and over.
Her story, headlined “National CAF lawsuit picks up steam,” detailed the multiple class-action cases being brought by members of the Canadian Armed Forces for sexual assault, harassment and gender-based discrimination that they encountered within the organization.
Anthony told the story of lead plaintiff Nicola Peffers, whose experiences of sexual misconduct within the male-dominated culture in the navy were among the many similar complaints being brought to light throughout the Canadian Armed Forces in this country.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for your work, especially in such turbulent times for journalism,” Anthony said. “In our line of work, we commonly use the phrase “putting a human face on a story” in order for it to resonate with as many readers as possible. I was very fortunate to have Nicola Peffers share her story with us, allowing me to dig in past the legal jargon to shed real light on her experience, as well as the realities that people of all genders still face every day working in the Canadian Armed Forces.”
What made the honour particularly rewarding was that Anthony was deeply passionate about getting this story out there. “Sexual harassment, assault and gender-based discrimination is something that has plagued the armed forces for as long as they’ve existed. It profoundly alters the lives of those affected, many of whom are women.”
In the Best All-Around Newspaper category, the Victoria News placed third overall among publications with a circulation between 12,500 and 24,999.
Also placing in the top three in the CCNA awards was Christine van Reeuwyk of sister publication the Oak Bay News, who placed second for Best News Story in the 4,000 to 12,499 circulation category for her story “His name was Joe.”
For a full listing of top-three placings by category, click here.