No one can say that the last year has not been newsworthy, from blockades, to the pandemic, to the economy and ongoing opioid crisis, there has been plenty to report on for BC’s journalists.
The annual Webster Awards are presented by the Jack Webster Foundation, which fosters and celebrates excellence in journalism to protect the public interest for British Columbians. Named for the colourful journalist known as the “King of Vancouver Airwaves”, the Webster Awards present awards for best news, best feature and best community reporting in radio, tv and print journalism. Since the first awards in 1987, they have grown to include; Chinese language, business, science & tech reporting and commentator awards. Honourary awards are also presented during the event. The Bill Good Award, recognizing the positive impact of journalism in BC communities, this year awarded to Candis Callison, Associate Professor UBC School of Journalism, Writing, and Media & Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies. The Bruce Hutchison Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to long time local reporter John Daly, who coincidentally won the very first Best Reporting of the Year award in 1987.
This week the Jack Webster Foundation announced the finalists in 14 categories for the 2020 Webster Awards. Visit jackwebster.com for the complete list of finalists.
The winners will be announced December 8, 2020 during an online ceremony starting at 6pm. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the annual Webster Awards will be presented online, hosted by CBC Vancouver’s Anita Bathe, and available online for everyone to watch free of charge.