La Presse was honored on Saturday at the annual gala of the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) in Vancouver. The head of La Presse’s investigative team, Vincent Larouche, won an award in the Scoop category for his article on a criminal trial held in total secrecy.
The journalist revealed the holding of a mysterious criminal trial whose traces had been erased. The defendant in this case was a police informant accused of a crime whose nature remains confidential and who received a sentence kept secret.
Vincent Larouche tied for the prize with a team from CBC’s The National (Paul Hunter, Dave Rae, Sheldon Beldick and Michael Drapack) for their reporting on allegations of a sexual nature involving an RCMP officer.
For their part, editorialist Philippe Mercure and graphic designer Maxime Jean were among the finalists in the Online Media category for their digital story on the epidemic of fatal overdoses in Quebec.
The journalist and editorialist searched more than 1,250 coroners’ reports and 18 people testified about their experience of overdoses, which are a growing phenomenon in Quebec.
The competition, with 18 categories, recognizes journalistic investigative work in Canada. The winners were announced at the awards gala Saturday night in Vancouver.
