AJAs 2017 Finalists
Attachments
| Slug/Label | |
|---|---|
| Date Aired or Published | Various |
| Media outlet where first aired or published: | Examiner |
| Name of Program: | |
| If co-produced, list partner: | |
| Location: | Halifax |
| List awards, grants: | N/A |
| Running time (TV/Radio): | |
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Short explanation of the story and how it developed: As a journalist, journalism educator and columnist, I have a longstanding interest in freedom of information and government accountability issues. During 2023, I wrote at least a dozen columns that touched on these issues in one way or another. Two of the three columns that form this submission — “Time to call out the ‘provided a statement’ scam from public officials” (August 14) and “Halifax police ‘declined an interview’: Take 2” (August 20) — focus on the increasing tendency of public officials to refuse to be interviewed by journalists about controversial decisions. Instead, they “provide a statement” that rarely responds to public concerns. In the first column, I suggested ways in which media outlets could respond to “official statements that intentionally don’t respond to legitimate questions.” The third column, “Committee to monitor Mass Casualty Commission meets … in secret” (December 17), raises questions about why the federal and provincial governments chose to require a committee supposedly set up to publicly monitor implementation of 130 recommendations in a report into one of the worst mass murders in Canadian history would require its members to operate in secret. These columns did not require any additional resources but significant research into the issues and their publication fit nicely with the Examiner’s mandate to hold public officials accountable for their decisions. |
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Resources of the newsroom (money and time) available to complete the story: |
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