Canadian Press reporter wins award for reporting on New Brunswick wrongful conviction

TORONTO — Canadian Press reporter Hina Alam is this year’s recipient of Innocence Canada’s Tracey Tyler Award in recognition of her reporting on the case of two wrongfully convicted New Brunswick men.

Alam’s coverage began in a Saint John, N.B., courtroom in January where Walter Gillespie and Robert Mailman were exonerated on decades-old murder charges.

New Brunswick Court of King’s Bench Chief Justice Tracey DeWare acquitted Mailman and Gillespie on Jan. 4, and declared the justice system had failed the men, who received life sentences in 1984 for the killing of a man in Saint John the previous year.

Her ruling came after federal Justice Minister Arif Virani ordered a new trial, saying evidence had surfaced that called into question “the overall fairness of the process.”

Alam stuck with the story after the men’s names were cleared, chronicling the difficult conditions they still faced after being declared innocent and pressing the government on compensation.

In February, the two men reached an undisclosed settlement with the New Brunswick government, but it came less than two months before Gillespie’s death on April 19 at the age of 80.

“Through her compassionate and compelling reporting, Ms. Alam was instrumental in steadfastly holding the government of New Brunswick and the Saint John police accountable,” Innocence Canada said in bestowing the award Wednesday night. Innocence Canada led the legal fight to exonerate Gillespie and Mailman.

In a statement accepting the award, Alam thanked Mailman and Gillespie for taking the time to meet with her.

“As reporters, we hope to shine a light on cases of injustice so they are not repeated, and so other victims can hope to have their names cleared,” she said. “If my reporting helped bring attention to the experience of these two men and caused readers — and decision-makers — to reflect on the wrongs committed within our justice system, I consider it a success.”

The award is named in memory of Toronto Star justice reporter Tracey Tyler, who until her death in 2012 was an ardent advocate for the wrongfully convicted.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.

The Canadian Press