2012 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | Chained in Chelsea |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | October 3, 2012; October 10, 2012; October 31, 2012; November 21, 2012; November 28, 2012; and December 29, 2012 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin |
| Name of Program: | News |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Lunenburg County |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: Lighthouse Media Group broke the story of the teen boy held captive in chains and allegedly sexually abused in a rural cottage on our website, southshorenow.ca, a day before other media learned of it. The 16 year old escaped on a Monday evening, September 24. Assistant editor Lisa Brown heard early the following afternoon that Mounties were sitting on a house in Upper Chelsea and began making inquiries. While police were releasing nothing, a couple of sources unofficially confirmed what had happened. Lisa headed to the area and began asking questions. With the newspaper deadline passed and publication that day, she broke the story on our website that evening. By 7 a.m. the following morning, other media were reporting “unconfirmed reports” of the crimes. Within hours, it emerged as a provincial, then a national story. Lisa continued to follow the story, tracking down and speaking with neighbours who assisted the boy in varying degrees. She secured sit-down interviews with the woman who first had contact with the boy and called police, and the couple who removed the teen’s chains and drove him to safety. She continued to speak with police in Ontario as they tracked and located the fugitives charged with kidnapping and confining the teen and followed the case through the court process when the one surviving accused was returned to Nova Scotia. Lighthouse was again on top of the story in November when Lisa learned that a third man had been charged in connection with the case and was appearing in court. It was again a Tuesday morning, but we rushed through the details we’d confirmed for that week’s edition of the Lunenburg County Progress Bulletin, then followed up on our website. Lisa again secured a substantial interview, this time with the victim’s mother, adding it to our website coverage and following up in the next week’s paper with a sidebar story. At the time of submission, the case remained before the courts. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: When our newsroom began receiving tips that something major was happening in our coverage area, court and crime reporter Lisa Brown called in her contacts and was immediately on the story. She was the first reporter on the scene of this national story. |
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