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The Narwhal wins 3 Webster Awards for outstanding B.C. journalism

Recognized for excellence in environment, legal and multimedia reporting, we tied with Global B.C. for most awards won

Tuesday was a big night for our B.C. team, attending the annual Jack Webster Awards in person for the first time. We were nominated in three categories — excellence in legal journalism, excellence in environment reporting and excellence in multimedia journalism — and we came home with all three awards at the ceremony in Vancouver.

“I wasn’t expecting to win,” said biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank, who won the award for best environmental reporting. “It was an exciting night and I’m really proud of our team.”

Cruickshank’s award-winning feature takes a look at the efforts being made by non-profits, governments and First Nations to fight the invasion of European green crabs in B.C. waters.  The story reveals many of the critters rot in a landfill — even though they’re edible — which is why some people wonder if we should just eat the crabs, especially when inflation is driving up the cost of groceries.

The awards, created to recognize long-time B.C. reporter Jack Webster, celebrate outstanding journalism in the province.

The Narwhal’s wins at the Websters wouldn’t have been possible without the more than 5,500 members who donate whatever they can afford to support our independent, non-profit journalism.

A quadrant of photos featuring three Narwhal staff holding up Webster Awards. In each photo, seen left to right: Ainslie Cruishank, Lindsay Sample and Francesca Fionda.
Biodiversity reporter Ainslie Cruickshank, B.C. bureau lead Lindsay Sample and mining reporter Francesca Fionda were all smiles after The Narwhal took home three 2023 Webster Awards.

Our mining reporter, Francesca Fionda, won best legal reporting for her in-depth coverage of a court case which could change the future of mining in B.C. Fionda spent 14 days in the B.C. Supreme Court as the Gitxaała Nation and Ehattesaht First Nation brought forward their case, fighting against how mineral rights are handed out in the province. 

Her time in court led to four articles explaining the significance of the case and raising concerns of Indigenous leaders, the exploration industry, mining reform advocates, community groups and environmental advocates.

Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.
Investigating problems. Exploring solutions
The Narwhal’s reporters are telling environment stories you won’t read about anywhere else. Stay in the loop by signing up for a weekly dose of independent journalism.

Our northwest B.C. reporter, Matt Simmons, was the final winner of the night for The Narwhal. He won best multimedia journalism for his work breaking down the truth about pipelines crossing Wet’suwet’en territory — and charting their proposed paths. Simmons spent months collaborating with our art director Shawn Parkinson to visually show the pipeline routes and how they intersect with Wet’suwet’en governance structure.

“So many people made time for me, trusted me with their stories and shared space around fires or over bowls of moose stew. It’s an honour to have this work recognized like this,” Simmons said. 

Other winners from the night include Global BC, The Globe and Mail, the Vancouver Sun, the Tyee, Hakai Institute, Hakai Magazine, RedFM, The Discourse, IndigiNews and the Vancouver Tech Journal.

Like a kid in a candy store
When those boxes of heavily redacted documents start to pile in, reporters at The Narwhal waste no time in looking for kernels of news that matter the most. Just ask our Prairies reporter Drew Anderson, who gleefully scanned through freedom of information files like a kid in a candy store, leading to pretty damning revelations in Alberta. Long story short: the government wasn’t being forthright when it claimed its pause on new renewable energy projects wasn’t political. Just like that, our small team was again leading the charge on a pretty big story

In an oil-rich province like Alberta, that kind of reporting is crucial. But look at our investigative work on TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline to the west, or our Greenbelt reporting out in Ontario. They all highlight one thing: those with power over our shared natural world don’t want you to know how — or why — they call the shots. And we try to disrupt that.

Our journalism is powered by people just like you. We never take corporate ad dollars, or put this public-interest information behind a paywall. Will you join the pod of Narwhals that make a difference by helping us uncover some of the most important stories of our time?
Like a kid in a candy store
When those boxes of heavily redacted documents start to pile in, reporters at The Narwhal waste no time in looking for kernels of news that matter the most. Just ask our Prairies reporter Drew Anderson, who gleefully scanned through freedom of information files like a kid in a candy store, leading to pretty damning revelations in Alberta. Long story short: the government wasn’t being forthright when it claimed its pause on new renewable energy projects wasn’t political. Just like that, our small team was again leading the charge on a pretty big story

In an oil-rich province like Alberta, that kind of reporting is crucial. But look at our investigative work on TC Energy’s Coastal GasLink pipeline to the west, or our Greenbelt reporting out in Ontario. They all highlight one thing: those with power over our shared natural world don’t want you to know how — or why — they call the shots. And we try to disrupt that.

Our journalism is powered by people just like you. We never take corporate ad dollars, or put this public-interest information behind a paywall. Will you join the pod of Narwhals that make a difference by helping us uncover some of the most important stories of our time?

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