Prince Rupert Northern View editor Shannon Lough has been named the winner of the John Collison Memorial Award for Investigative Journalism.
Lough was honoured at the 2017 Coast Capital British Columbia/Yukon Community Newspapers Association (BCYCNA) Ma Murray Awards on Saturday in Vancouver.
Lough’s feature entitled: The Last Post, The search for the man in the cardboard box — The Earl Corliss story, was selected by BCYCNA judges as the best investigative work done by a journalist in the past year.
“This is a terrific example of the old adage that everyone has a story to tell — even those who are stepped over and forgotten,” the judges wrote in their decision. “Reporter Shannon Lough shows dogged determination in uncovering this remarkable story. Footwork, cold calls and digging through old documents revealed a man who deserved much more. That he was ultimately honoured for his service shows the power of a well-written investigative piece. A delight to read.”
Lough’s work was selected from submissions from more than 100 community and daily newspapers in British Columbia and Yukon. This is Lough’s first Ma Murray Award.
In 2001, the BCYCNA renamed their annual recognition of outstanding B.C. and Yukon’s newspapers and journalists the Ma Murray Awards. Margaret “Ma” Murray was one of the most tenacious and outspoken figures in Canadian journalism and continues to inspire the community newspaper industry. She began her career in the 1930s, when she became on of B.C.’s first female publishers at the Bridge River-Lilloet News. She became known throughout B.C. as a forthright and outspoken critic of various topics of the day.
