3 min. read
We’re thrilled to share that the U.S.-based Institute for Nonprofit News has recognized The Narwhal as a finalist in the investigative and visual journalism categories of its annual awards!
The Narwhal is up for the award for best investigative journalism, for reporting led by northwest B.C. reporter Matt Simmons, former director of enterprise and investigations Mike De Souza and Ontario reporter Fatima Syed. Across nearly a dozen articles, their investigation revealed, among other things, how an executive at oil and gas giant TC Energy claimed to have influenced the B.C. government on climate policy, including by getting pro-pipeline messaging “stuck on government letterhead.”
Over years of reporting, Matt, Mike and Fatima cultivated multiple sources to get insight into TC Energy and its relationship with public servants and politicians. Their reputation for careful and fair reporting earned them access to leaked recordings from a company meeting, and they dedicated weeks to verifying the facts and understanding the context, including through freedom-of-information requests and on-the-ground reporting.
The stories led to internal review by a provincial lobbying watchdog and a public apology from TC Energy. Opposition politicians and environmental advocacy organizations cited The Narwhal’s reporting when demanding answers from the B.C. government about just how TC Energy’s projects get approved.
“One of our most important goals at The Narwhal is to equip citizens with the information they need to hold power to account, and this reporting fulfills that goal,” executive editor Denise Balkissoon said. “This public-interest journalism wouldn’t be possible without the 7,100 members who regularly support The Narwhal’s work.”
Also nominated is freelance photojournalist Gavin John, who is a finalist for the Insight Award for Visual Journalism, which honours storytelling that uses visual media to more accurately portray a community that has traditionally been underrepresented or misrepresented in news media. Gavin and freelance journalist Jimmy Thomson travelled across Montana and southern Alberta for three days to report the story of efforts to restore buffalo to Blackfoot territory.
“Earning trust and being welcomed into these communities and events required relationship building and thoughtful consideration of Blackfoot protocol, something Gavin approached with admirable thoughtfulness,” senior editor Michelle Cyca said.
The resulting images, which Gavin called “a highlight of my career,” include moving portraits, detailed images of beadwork and breathtaking vistas of the land and animals the community is working to care for.
The Institute for Nonprofit News supports a network of 500 non-profit and non-partisan journalism outlets in North America, most of which are located in the United States. The Narwhal is being recognized alongside journalism by Jewish Currents, PublicSource, Injustice Watch and inewsource. The winners will be announced at a ceremony in New Orleans in September.
