2015 Atlantic Journalism Awards Finalists
Attachments
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| Date Aired or Published | March 29, 2015 |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | The Canadian Press - subsequently published on multiple media sites. |
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| Location: | Halifax, N.S. |
| List awards, grants: | |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: Air Canada said it was just another "hard landing." In fact, it was a near disaster. In the middle of a Saturday night snowstorm, the big passenger jet was coming in for a landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport when it hit a navigation tower — losing part of its nose — and crashed short of the runway. Reporters Michael MacDonald and Michael Tutton, along with photographer Andrew Vaughan were awoken just after midnight and dispatched to the airport and Halifax bureau, respectively, to launch our coverage. From the airport, MacDonald spoke to the tired, traumatized and cold passengers who described their harrowing experiences while Vaughan photographed officials and interviewees after capturing images of the badly damaged aircraft in the freezing, pre-dawn darkness. Of the 38 people aboard, 23 were injured. The plane's landing gear had collapsed and one of its engines was ripped off. After passengers and crew scrambled from the crippled jet, they were left on the tarmac for more than an hour as they were lashed by a blizzard. MacDonald shot video, gathered the colour and also obtained interviews with airport officials. Back at the office, Tutton gathered the official comments from Air Canada and the Transportation Safety Board. CP's first news alert went out just after 1 a.m. on March 29 and a complete story was on the wire by 3:22 a.m. At a time when national TV networks weren't carrying live coverage, MacDonald and Tutton's kept up a steady flow of accurate reporting for both online and broadcast media. The blend of factual recounting — emotion from the passengers and statements from official sources — provided a clear and captivating narrative about what unfolded from the moment of the crash to the moment most Nova Scotians were waking on Sunday morning to hear about it. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: No special resources required. |
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