The Press was honored Saturday at the annual Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) gala in Vancouver. The head of the investigation team The PressVincent Larouche, won a prize in the Scoop category for his article on a criminal trial held in total secrecy.
The journalist revealed the holding of a mysterious criminal trial whose traces had been erased. The accused in this case was a police informant charged with a crime, the nature of which remains confidential and who was given a sentence that was kept secret.
Vincent Larouche won his prize tied with a team from the show The National of the CBC (Paul Hunter, Dave Rae, Sheldon Beldick and Michael Drapack) for their reporting on allegations of a sexual nature involving an RCMP officer.
For their part, editorialist Philippe Mercure and graphic designer Maxime Jean were among the finalists in the Online Media category for their digital story on the epidemic of fatal overdoses in Quebec.
The journalist and editorial writer searched more than 1,250 coroners’ reports and 18 people testified about their experience of overdoses, which are a growing phenomenon in Quebec.
The competition, with 18 categories, rewards journalistic investigative work in Canada. The winners were announced at the awards gala Saturday night in Vancouver.