It’s a big day for journalism in British Columbia. Tonight in Vancouver, the best and the brightest will be honoured with Webster awards.
These awards are handed out each fall by the Jack Webster Foundation, created in 1986 as a permanent tribute to the legendary reporter. Webster spent more than 40 years as a journalist, working in radio, television and print. He was tough, fearless and, best of all, accurate.
The Times Colonist has won several Websters over the years, including honours to Jack Knox and Les Leyne for their columns. This year, Katie DeRosa is nominated for her feature about a man forced to live in a garden shed because of the region’s affordable-housing shortage, and Louise Dickson and Lindsay Kines are finalists for their reporting on the sheriffs’ shortage that has led judges to dismiss serious charges.
And I am proud to be this year’s recipient of the Bill Good Award, which honours a B.C. journalist, broadcaster, builder or educator who has made a significant contribution to the field of journalism or the community.
Yes, I’m honoured. And I’m amazed at how quickly my 45 years as a journalist has passed, and by the extraordinary changes in the media landscape during my working life.
It’s not breaking news that newspapers and radio and television stations are facing pressures that were unimaginable when the now-closed Kamloops Daily Sentinel gave my career its start in 1972, or even when I began at the Times Colonist in 1997.
There were only a handful of news outlets in Victoria in those days. Today, the options seem endless, as websites and apps pop up almost daily, and tweets and Facebook posts bring a stream of information — or misinformation — to readers.
The traditional media are scrambling to stay relevant and valued as the landscape goes through earthquake-like changes.
We’re not perfect; far from it, and I say that after seeing both sides. I am getting the Bill Good Award partly because of my work on history. I’ve been interviewed about that work by reporters from across the country.
Some were first-rate. One had obviously done serious research on the topic; her questions were sharp and focused, and the resulting story was accurate and interesting. But too many reporters did not care, were unprepared, missed the context or claimed that I said things I did not.
Seeing the process from the other side made me even more determined to be a better editor. That means striving for accuracy, for relevance, and for timeliness in what appears in print and on our website. That means doing all that we can to help readers understand what has happened, or what is likely to happen, and why.
In the end, that’s our strength; if we remember that, we will be around for many years to come.
I believe that’s important for our society. Thirteen Canadian daily newspapers have died in the past seven years, each closure a blow to a community. Even in these challenging times, much of the local news coverage was driven by those newspapers. Their passing left a void that could never be filled by clickbait websites, national media or keeners on social media.
The Times Colonist has increased its coverage in Nanaimo since the Daily News died. But what about Kamloops, Nelson or Prince Rupert? They also lost their daily newspapers, but no other newspaper is close enough to fill the gap. With reduced access to reliable information, people are inevitably less engaged and less effective in their role as active citizens. That is not good for democracy.
I’m used to criticism of traditional media; I share some of the concerns. But I’m still surprised and disappointed that people don’t recognize that news media play a critical role. Or that the attacks on them often come from special interests who stand to gain if there is less independent, serious reporting — people such as Donald Trump.
We have flaws. But we also have credibility, standards, and checks and balances. We are reliable. We believe in our community, and do our best to serve our community.
We have the trust of our readers — and we must work, every day, to maintain that trust.
In his 50-year career in broadcast journalism, Bill Good set a high standard, one few journalists could match. The award named in his honour is not a laurel to rest my career upon; it’s a reminder to keep fighting for excellence, every day.
