2012 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | Lost on the Ice |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | 2012 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | CBC Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Name of Program: | Here and Now |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | St. John's |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | 12:37 |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: During 2012 CBC Newfoundland and Labrador did more than a hundred stories that mention Burton Winters. More than just a 14 year old boy who lost his way on the ice and died, he's become a symbol for a search and rescue system that didn't work. After the boy's body was found CBC decided to travel to the isolated community of Makkovik to tell the boy's story. We're the only broadcaster to make the trip. CBC spent a day and a half in the community. When people heard a CBC Video Journalist was in town they organized a protest on the ice to show their anger over search and rescue. With just a few hours planning most of the community was there. It was pitch black and -20 which made filming difficult. The story was then edited from a hotel room and uploaded through a slow internet connection to air the next day. While Peter Cowan was in the community he also spoke with friends and family of Burton Wintes, as well as searchers and others involved in the story. The family didn't want to talk. But after sitting with Cowan for more than an hour they agreed to tell the story of their son. That combined with photos from the RCMP came together to tell the story of just what happened to Burton Winters. It was this research that formed the basis for the Fifth Estate piece looking at what went wrong. Neither the province nor the federal government called an inquiry into the boy's death so it was CBC that investigated what went wrong with the system. Through access to information requests we uncovered details about just what happened that night. The audio recordings lay out just what happened between the RCMP, Fire and Emergency Services and The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, where the confusion was and just when resources were asked for to help search for this boy on the ice. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: All the resources came out of the newsgathering budget. It involved flying to the remote community of Makkovik, also time was spent producing the investigative piece, bringing the audio recordings to life on TV |
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