Apr 29, 2024

Vancouver, BC – Langara College journalism alumni were well represented at the recent National Newspaper Awards (NNA). The awards were established in 1949 by the Toronto Press Club and developed a new governance structure in 1989 under the auspices of the not-for-profit Canadian Daily Newspaper Awards Programme Administration Corporation.

Alum Cara McKenna was part of a team (Matt Simmons, Marty Clemens, IndigiNews, The Narwhal) who won the Arts and Entertainment category for their feature about the return of a stolen totem pole to Nisga’a Nation after almost a century. The story is a collaboration between The Narwhal and IndigiNews:

‘Welcome home, dear ancestor’: after nearly a century, a stolen totem pole returns to the Nisg̱a’a Nation

Alum Daryl Greer won the George Brown Award for Investigations for his work with Canadian Press on a sexual predator within CSIS. His story was a months-long investigation into rape, stalking, and bullying at one of Canada’s most secretive organizations: the Canadian Security Intelligence Service:

A 'predator' at CSIS: Officers allege rape, harassment and a toxic workplace culture

The William Southam Award for Long Feature went to alum Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun/Province, for his thought-provoking look at B.C.’s mental health system and whether his dad — who was institutionalized for 20 years — would have survived it:

Would my dad have survived today’s mental-health system? Probably not.

“The fact that we're seeing alumni, from several decades ago to recent graduating classes, continue to gain recognition from their peers speaks to the enduring quality of the people who come out of Langara Journalism,” said department chair, Barry Link. “We're proud of their ability to do great work over a diverse range of writing styles and topics, and we look forward to training more such graduates in the years ahead.”

Three-judge panels selected three finalists in each of the 23 NNA categories. Judges considered a total of 892 entries, all published in 2023, from 64 news organizations. A total of 75 individual journalists representing 26 publications were finalists this year, up from 18 publications last year.

Langara journalism programs train students interested in journalism and communications careers. The certificate and diplomga programs teach unique skills that are invaluable in both industries. Students gain in-depth and hands-on experience in writing, copy-editing, research, news gathering, interviewing, and storytelling for a variety of multimedia platforms and subjects. The programs are hands-on, compelling experiences that prepare graduates for real-world newsrooms and communications shops that value accuracy, integrity, and meeting deadlines.

About snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College
Located in beautiful Vancouver, B.C., Canada, snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College provides University, Career, and Continuing Studies education to more than 19,000 students annually. With more than 1,700 courses and 130 programs, Langara's expansive academic breadth and depth allows students of all ages, backgrounds, and life stages to choose their own educational path. Langara is also known as snəw̓eyəɬ leləm 'house of teachings', a name given to it by Musqueam, on whose unceded traditional territory the College is located.

Learn more. 
Mark Dawson 
Manager, Public Affairs 
Langara College 
mdawson@langara.ca