RNAO invites journalists to submit their outstanding reporting for annual Media Awards competition
TORONTO, Dec. 24, 2020 – In a year that saw media play a vital role covering COVID-19, a seismic public health crisis that will be a defining moment in our history, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is inviting journalists to submit their outstanding coverage on this and other nursing and health-care reporting for its Media Awards competition.
“Journalists worked exceptionally hard covering many angles of COVID-19 and RNAO is thrilled to recognize their outstanding work. Their exceptional accounts kept people informed about every facet of this challenging pandemic. We invite reporters and hosts to look at the stories they have produced and to share the pride they have for their work by submitting it to our competition,” says Dr. Doris Grinspun, RNAO’s CEO.
“The work that journalists do is fundamental to society and democracy. It also contributes to a better understanding of nurses and the challenges of working in today’s health system on behalf of patients and residents and Ontarians at large. This is especially the case in the face of a pandemic, fake news and the challenges these create when it comes to managing COVID-19,” say RNAO President Morgan Hoffarth.
Stories published or broadcast in Ontario in 2020 will be judged by a committee of journalists and nurses selected by RNAO, the professional association that shapes health and nursing policy.
Previous winners include journalists from major media outlets such as CBC’s The National, Global News, Ottawa Citizen, as well as smaller media outlets such as The Manitoulin Expositor and Arnprior Chronicle-Guide. Their work has shed light on issues such as the opioid crisis, elder assault, alcohol consumption, funding for life-savings drugs, and a revolutionary dementia screening tool developed for Indigenous populations.
Nominations for the Media Awards must be received via the online submission form no later than Friday, Feb. 26, 2021.
Categories for the competition include:
Community newspaper
- Best news coverage
- Best in-depth feature or series
Daily newspaper
- Best news coverage
- Best in-depth feature or series
Radio
- Best news coverage
- Best in-depth feature or series
Television
- Best news coverage
- Best in-depth feature or series
Online
- Best story
- Best in-depth feature or series
Winners will be announced online in the spring, and presented with their awards during RNAO’s Annual General Meeting in June 2021. Please note that journalists may only submit one entry per person. For the complete list of criteria and to fill out an entry form, visit RNAO.ca/MediaAwards. Eligible stories must have been published or broadcast during the 2020 calendar year.
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners and nursing students in Ontario. Since 1925, RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence in nursing practice, increased nurses’ contribution to shaping the health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the public they serve. For more information about RNAO, visit RNAO.ca or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
-30-
For more information about the awards, please contact:
