RNAO Media Awards

Sabrina Bedford is a reporter with The Recorder and Times, a community newspaper serving the city of Brockville and the Leeds and Grenville region. Her work has been recognized by the National Newspaper Awards and the Ontario Newspaper Awards for her coverage of a variety of local issues.

Paige Desmond is a journalist at the Waterloo Region Record and has been in the industry for more than 20 years. She has spent most of the past two years reporting extensively on the drug poisoning and unsheltered crises, with a human rights-based approach. She believes these stories are best told when people living the experience are involved.

Rachel Mendleson is an investigative reporter at the Toronto Star with a special interest in data-based reporting, justice issues and public policy. Her investigation into unreliable drug and alcohol testing at the Hospital for Sick Children’s Motherisk laboratory led to the lab being shut down, prompted reviews of affected child protection cases in several provinces and uncovered a wrongful conviction.

Katie Dangerfield has a passion for storytelling. The Winnipeg native began her journey with Global News in 2014, initially as a writer and producer for the Winnipeg Morning News before transitioning to the role of online producer for the station’s website. Katie is now working as a national health reporter with Global News online in Toronto. She covers beats ranging from health to science and the environment.

Patti Sonntag is an investigative journalist for Global News, currently focusing on government procurement. The projects she has designed and led have won nearly two dozen regional, national and international awards and changed laws and policies from coast to coast, including “

Jeff Semple is a senior correspondent with Global National News based in Toronto. He’s one of Canada’s most experienced international journalists, having reported from more than 40 countries across five continents, including numerous conflict zones. From the first days of the pandemic, Jeff reported from inside overwhelmed hospital emergency rooms and Intensive Care Units in both Canada and the United States. 

Brian Bradley is a journalist, editor and podcaster at Toronto Star, where he has worked in the digital arena since 2015. As part of the podcast team, he primarily worked on the daily news podcast “This Matters” as a producer alongside hosts Raju Mudhar and Saba Eitizaz, audio engineer Sean Pattendon and executive producer JP Fozo. As a guest host, Brian’s episodes focused on social justice, local and provincial politics, history and health.

Sean Pattendon is a seasoned media professional with 20 years of experience. He is currently the team editor of Audio Operations at the Toronto Star. From producing, to sound mixing to writing original music, Sean has worked on all of the shows across the Toronto Star Podcast Network.

Sebastian Bron is a reporter with the Hamilton Spectator specializing in crime and long-form feature projects. Beginning his career without a journalism degree in 2019, he is considered by editors to be a go-getter who goes the extra mile to deftly spotlight under-the-radar stories.

Spencer Turcotte joined the CTV News Kitchener team in 2019, right after graduating from Toronto Metropolitan University. Since then, he has covered everything from breaking news, to court, and human-interest stories. A 2021 feature about how a bagpiper’s musical tributes to frontline workers sparked a neighbourhood feud landed him as a Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) finalist in the Feature News category.

Tina Yazdani joined the CityNews Toronto team as a journalist in June 2018. Tina has always been passionate about local news and politics, holding the government to account, and giving a voice to those who need it most. She recently started covering Queen’s Park full time, working on a range of stories, from health care to education and housing. She feels fortunate to be able to tell stories in her favourite city.