The 100 Mile Free Press and Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal have won a Canadian Community Newspaper Award (CCNA) in the Best Feature Series category in the 4,000 to 12,499 circulation class for last year’s Fire Fight special issue on the 2017 wildfires (some copies still available).
RELATED: Fire Fight: 2017 Wildfires from Ashcroft to Lac la Hache
The CCNAs are presented to community journalists across Canada. The winning journalists are Tara Sprickerhoff, Barbara Roden and Max Winkelman.
“The 2017 wildfires had a huge impact on the communities we live in and love,” says Roden. “Fire Fight was a way to gather together the stories of many of the people directly impacted and involved, and show not only the progression of the fires but also the ways in which people reacted and the strength and resilience they showed.
“Journalists don’t write stories with awards in mind; we just cover what’s happening in our communities, and why. That said, to see Fire Fight honoured with a Canadian Community Newspaper Award is a huge honour, and one that should be shared with all the people who told us their stories and trusted us with them.”
Sprickerhoff echoes that sentiment.
“Writing Fire Fight was one way we were able to memorialize some of the many many stories that came out of last summer, and, in a way, gave me a chance to reflect on what I had learned and processed as we were reporting on the fires. Thank you to everyone who shared their stories with me and others at the Free Press. It was an honour to be able to help tell them.”
Winkelman says they thank all the people who submitted photos and shared their stories, as well as the other team members at the 100 Mile Free Press (Evan Fentiman, Deb Theoret, Kerri Mingo, Chris Nickless, Martina Dopf, and Lori Brodie) and at the Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal (Terry Daniels and Christopher Roden), without whom it would not have been possible.
“I’m very honoured to have won, but it would not have been possible without the cooperation and support of our communities.”
The Best Feature Series is judged on the quality of writing, depth and detail, originality and creativity, presentation, and impact.
