$1,000 labour journalism award

Deadline: May 1, 2016

Unifor Local 87-M invites submissions for its $1,000 award recognizing journalism on the subject of work.

This award, open to Local members, honours excellence in reporting on today’s broad range of labour issues, including, but not limited to, working conditions, labour law, employee rights, and labour-related social justice. Because we are a union Local that serves both newspapers and broadcast, the journalism can be in any format, as long as it has been publicly published or broadcast in 2015.
 
“Journalists play a vital role in the lives of workers. They inform, expose, analyze, entertain and record history,” said Unifor Local 87-M President Paul Morse.  “Without them, the fabric of our democratic society is seriously weakened.  As Unifor’s largest media Local, we laud their contributions and recognize excellence with this award.”
 
A panel of independent judges will consider the importance of the media report to the lives of working people. The subject matter can go beyond Canada, but it should be of relevance to Canadians. The judges will consider the quality of the presentation, be it writing, audio or video; the ramifications, if any, of the work; the amount of attention the work received from the public; the difficulty experienced in gathering the information; and the resources available to the journalist.  Consideration will also be given to the size of the applicant’s workplace.
 
Last year’s winner was Joanna Lavoie, of Metroland Toronto’s Beach-Riverdale Mirror, for her work on a labour dispute at WoodGreen Community Services.

The award is handed out annually based on work done over the previous calendar year. Please email submissions to Local 87-M President Paul Morse no later than May 1st. Please include a cover letter with your contact information, explaining the importance of the journalism to the working lives of Canadians and addressing the other criteria to be used in judging the entries.

Paul Morse,
President, Unifor Local 87-M
paul@unifor87m.org
Ph: 416-461-2461, ext 1, 1-800-463-5797