In-depth investigations took the spotlight Friday when Canada’s best journalism of 2017 was honoured at the presentation of the National Newspaper Awards.
Among the 21 categories in the annual competition, five were won by ground-breaking investigative efforts – including probes into how police forces deal with sexual assault complaints, a man’s claims of innocence after more than three decades in prison, and Canada’s surprising role as a tax haven for the global elite.
Robyn Doolittle of the Globe and Mail was selected as the winner in the Investigations category for “Unfounded,” which revealed how frequently police forces across the country concluded that sexual assault allegations, even in cases with seemingly strong evidence, did not warrant the laying of charges, or even further investigation. The series, which involved 20 months of painstaking investigation and interviewing by Doolittle, led police forces across the country to re-examine thousands of case files, and reopen hundreds.
There were 63 finalists in 21 categories, selected from 881 entries for work published in 2017. The competition is open to daily newspapers, news agencies and online news sites.
You can read a full list of this year’s winners here.
