CTV News Vancouver dominates journalism awards

CTV News Vancouver wins 5 Murrow awards CTV News Vancouver has received five prestigious Edward R. Murrow awards.

One of the world's most respected journalism organizations has chosen CTV News Vancouver as the winner of more awards in its international category than any other news organization. In an announcement Friday from Washington, D.C., the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) announced that CTV News Vancouver is taking home Edward R. Murrow Awards in five out of its 10 categories in the International Large Market competition. The CTV News Vancouver team was honoured in the categories for Breaking News, Digital Journalism, Excellence in Video, and Investigative Reporting. CTV News at Six with Mi-Jung Lee was named the Best Newscast.

The award-winning submissions reflect a wide range of journalistic and production abilities in the Vancouver newsroom.

The Breaking News Award was based on CTV’s September 2023 coverage of RCMP Const. Rick O’Brien, who was killed in the line of duty while executing a search warrant at a home in Coquitlam, B.C.

In the Digital Journalism category, the Murrow judges singled out an investigation by CTV News Vancouver journalists Lisa Steacy and Andrew Weichel, which revealed that random stranger attacks in Vancouver were dropping dramatically just before the last municipal election – but the data was not shared by police with the public until after ballots were cast. That election saw Ken Sim win the race for mayor on a platform that focused on public safety and a pledge to hire 100 new police officers.

A story shot by Peter Bremner and former CTV News videojournalist Alissa Thibault won the prize for Excellence in Video. The story took viewers on a ridealong during a busy night with a team of Vancouver firefighters.

For Investigative Reporting, CTV News Vancouver journalist Michele Brunoro’s work on B.C.’s troubled foster care system took top honours. Her investigation was prompted by the horrific abuse of two foster children in the Fraser Valley. Michele is the winner of multiple investigative journalism awards during her more than 23 years with CTV News.

The Best Newscast Murrow once again went to the network’s flagship Vancouver newscast CTV News at Six. The show is the winner of numerous honours through the years, including being named Canada’s Best Local Newscast by the Canadian Screen Awards. Anchor Mi-Jung Lee is a veteran investigative journalist who hosts CTV News at Six weeknights alongside weather anchor Ann Luu.

The Edward R. Murrow Awards are named after the American broadcast journalist who rose to fame during his work as a war correspondent in the Second World War. His career was the subject of the 2005 movie Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney.