The Canadian Press receives record eight NNA nominations for breaking news, photos

TORONTO — The Canadian Press is nominated for eight National Newspaper Awards for its coverage of a killing rampage in Nova Scotia and selection of pictures that include all three finalists in the breaking news photo category.

It’s the highest number of nominations The Canadian Press has ever received, beating its previous best of six in 2010. The national news agency was named as a finalist Thursday in four categories, three of which are for photography.

“This has been an immensely difficult year for our photographers, who have been on the front lines throughout the COVID-19 crisis, and never had the luxury of working from home,” said Andrea Baillie, editor-in-chief of The Canadian Press. “I am delighted to see their work recognized.”

“I’m also incredibly proud of our team that was honoured for their work on the Nova Scotia mass shootings. They rushed to the scene, despite COVID dangers, and were unwavering in their efforts to unearth the facts and pay tribute to the victims of an unspeakable crime.”

The Canadian Press was nominated in the breaking news category for stories about the killing of 22 people across Nova Scotia last spring.

Andrew Vaughan received a breaking news photo nomination for images of the body of the man connected to the Atlantic killing spree. In the same category, photographers Darryl Dyck and Chris Young were nominated for photo of clashes at a Black Lives Matter protest in Vancouver and a man reacting to authorities who broke up an encampment for homeless persons in Toronto.

In the feature photo category, Nathan Denette and Fred Thornhill received nominations for images of a woman hugging her mother through plastic during COVID-19 and a paddleboarder out on the Trent-Severn waterway, respectively.

Frank Gunn and Jacques Boissinot are finalists in the sports photo category for images depicting a collision between a Toronto Maple Leafs player and a Carolina Hurricanes goaltender and a photo of a freestyle skier tumbling after a jump gone wrong.

This year’s nominations celebrate 66 finalists from 20 news organizations in 22 categories, including a new category: sustained news coverage.

Nearly half of the finalists are nominated for work that related in some way to the COVID-19 pandemic, said a release from the NNAs.

The Globe and Mail led with 18 nominations, for coverage including the downed passenger jet in Iran that killed 176 people and devastation inside Canada’s long-term care homes from the spread of COVID-19.

La Presse followed with nine nominations, The Canadian Press and Toronto Star with eight each and Le Devoir with four.

This year’s winners will be announced in May.

— Torstar holds an investment in The Canadian Press as part of a joint agreement with subsidiaries of the Globe and Mail and Montreal’s La Presse.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2021.

The Canadian Press