2014 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | PEI TEENS KILLED |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | March 31, 2014 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | The Guardian |
| Name of Program: | |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island |
| List awards, grants: | |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: This tragic story hit Prince Edward Island like an avalanche, and our team of reporters and photographers at The Guardian worked diligently throughout the day, and the entire weekend, to keep our readers informed and up to date. It began as a routine fire call to an abandoned building on a Saturday morning. Quickly, social media posts began circulating that some teens may have been inside. We had an initial breaking news story and photo online within minutes, thanks to Guardian reporter Nigel Armstrong. Brian McInnis captured compelling images of firefighters and police sifting through the charred remains of the building and removing the bodies of three teens killed in the fire. Weekend reporter Mitch MacDonald garnered the first interviews on video, allowing us to have video, a detailed story and a slideshow on our website very shortly after the fire was doused. Guardian reporter Teresa Wright knocked on the doors of every surrounding house in the neighbourhood, gathering further details about what happened, also gathering context and history of the neighbourhood and getting reaction to the tragic events. It’s important to note that even though it was late March, there was still over three feet of snow on the ground and our reporters and photographers braved deep-freeze temperatures as they spent the day outside gathering the elements for this news event. We were further impeded by police, who erected a full block barricade around the scene of the fire, keeping only media from entering for much of the day. The Guardian provided comprehensive coverage, updating The Guardian website five times throughout the weekend with updated, compelling stories, complete with new details, video and photos. This is reflected in the paper's tweets throughout this day, included in this submission (screen shots of previous versions of stories were unfortunately not taken). The finished product was a team effort that included all details available at the time, with reaction from across the province and an exclusive interview with one of the only first-hand witnesses to the tragic events of that day. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: Reporters and photographers worked around the clock to provide comprehensive coverage. Some of them came in on their days off and worked long, overtime hours. |
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