Third Annual Justicia Awards Presented for Legal Reporting

LONDON -- The Toronto Globe and Mail and and Radio-Canada's Zone Libre are the winners of the third annual Justicia Awards for Excellence in Journalism. A special certificate of merit was also awarded to the Edmonton Journal.

The awards, announced today at the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) Annual Conference, are sponsored by the Law Commission of Canada, the CBA, and the federal Department of Justice.

The winner in the print category is Kirk Makin of the Globe and Mail for his Jan. 5, 2002 article No Life Like It, which went behind the scenes of a school for new judges put on by the National Judicial Institute. It was the first time a journalist has attended the intensive program. The Justicia Award jury called the article "unique, timely, and comprehensive. It shines a light on individuals who play a decisive role in the system of justice. It contributes to public understanding of our judiciary, and demonstrates that judges do try to keep abreast of developments."

The winner in the broadcast category is Radio-Canada's public affairs show Zone Libre for its November 9, 2001 show Le projet innocence - La prison à vie pour une erreur judiciaire. It told the story of Roméo Phillion, a Franco-Ontarian who was imprisoned for 30 years for a murder he claims he didn't commit. His case was investigated by the Innocence Project at Osgoode Hall Law School. The report featured a dramatic reconstruction as well as interviews with Phillion, who has been denied parole because he refuses to admit his guilt. The judges described the program as "a good story with a strong narrative that struck a responsive chord. Its subject - wrongful conviction - is an important issue in any democracy. The reportage is thorough, well balanced, and presents all points of view." Anne Panasuk was the journalist and Kristina von Hlatky the producer.

The judges also awarded a certificate of merit to Edmonton Journal senior writer Ed Struzik for his May 12, 2002 story on Indian residential schools, Native children entered new world in church schools. M. Struzik prepared a series of stories to help readers understand the more than 9,000 lawsuits relating to the sexual and physical abuse at Indian residential schools across Canada. The jury praised this very interesting story that shows "the difficulty that arises out of using the adversarial legal system to resolve issues relating to social policy, culture and educational opportunities." The judges were impressed by the detailed work that underlies

the story, noting the reporter spent two months interviewing dozens of government officials, lawyers, former residential school students, priests, nuns and legal experts and reviewed 1200 of the 9000 claims as well as dozens of historical documents.

The Justicia awards recognize outstanding journalism that fosters public awareness and understanding of any aspect of the Canadian justice system and the roles played by institutions and participants in the legal system. The criteria for judging entries are accuracy, effectiveness in explaining legal issues to the public, informational value, insight and originality. This year's awards cover stories that were published or broadcast between May 16, 2001 and May 15th 2002.

The entries were judged by Justice Anne-Marie Trahan of the Quebec Superior Court, Claude Bourque, former editor of l'Évangéline of Moncton and Dr. Stuart Adam, Vice-President (Academic) of Carleton University. The Justicia Awards are sponsored by the Department of Justice, the Law Commission of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association to acknowledge the important role that media play in enhancing public understanding of the legal system.

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CONTACT:
Media Relations Office
Department of Justice: (613) 957-4207
Suzanne Thébarge - Director of Communications
Minister's Office: (613) 992-4621

Hannah Bernstein, Aug.9-14, CBA Media Centre, London Convention Centre, Boardroom IV, Main Floor, (519) 661-6337.