Foreword

The Honourable David Johnston, 28th Governor General of Canada and Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation

Robert Schuman, a founder of the European Union, once observed that the successful creation of the union comes about through people and institutions together — people of courage and wisdom focussed on the public good and specific organizational institutions that are part of a broader network of connected institutions which, if good fortune prevails, ensure a fully functioning democracy and a healthy, constantly reinvigorated society.

This book embraces both observations. First, it is about the people who created and supported the Michener Award for public service journalism, as well as those whose courageous truth-telling is at the heart of the award. Second, it is about the institutions — the Award itself as an institution reinforcing freedom of the press and informed communities that, in turn, strengthen the broader range of institutions that underpin a healthy democracy.

The Michener Award was established by one of my predecessors in the Office of the Governor General of Canada, The Right Honourable Roland Michener, who served in this role between 1967 and 1974. Over its first half-century, between 1970 and 2020, fifty-seven Michener Awards and 221 honourable mentions and citations of merit have been presented at Rideau Hall. While they have each told very different stories and focused on a wide variety of themes, the common thread that knits them all together is, of course, courage. The courage it takes to shine a light on something that those in power would rather remain in the dark. The courage to question decisions, chase facts and give voice to the voiceless, all with the goal of effecting change, whether to policies or, more intimately, to individual lives. The great George Orwell famously said “Journalism is printing something that someone does not want printed. Everything else is public relations.” I have no doubt that Roland Michener would have agreed with that statement wholeheartedly. In essence, that is the spirit of the Michener Award, and those are the stories that are told with such care and vibrancy within the pages of this book.

It is worth noting early in your journey through the history of the Michener Award that they are not given to individual journalists. This Award is about more than bylines. Instead, it recognizes the news organization as a whole, the institution above the individual. Unique among journalistic awards, the Michener Award celebrates teamwork. In this way it also recognizes how resource-heavy these types of investigations are for newsrooms: how many people, how many hours and how much money needs to be invested in the name of uncovering truth and bringing about immediate and lasting change. The Michener Award is also special in its determined recognition of small newsrooms and the sacrifices they make to tell the stories that are important to their communities and that will have real impact on the lives of their readers.

Ensuring these Awards continue to be relevant in a dramatically shifting media landscape has required its own form of leadership and, frankly, the same kind of dogged determination its recipients demonstrate through their journalism. Through a volunteer board of directors and independent judging committees made up of experienced journalists, the Michener Award Foundation has worked to preserve the integrity of Roland Michener’s vision and legacy. So, we see in this book a thoughtful exploration of five decades of journalistic evolution and the leaders who created and then stewarded the Michener Awards in celebrating, promoting and solidifying the importance of public service journalism as a key element to a fully functioning democracy. The Michener Award story also serves to illustrate that institutions, and the individuals who care for them, can make a difference.

This begins with Roland Michener and is followed by so many others, including this book’s author Kim Kierans, who continue to shepherd the Michener Awards. It is a journey that has had its share of challenges, near misses and threatened extinction. So, gear yourself up to be inspired and delighted by the stories illuminated in the pages that follow. Yes, they are the stories that make up the history of the Michener Award, but just as importantly they also document our country’s flawed past — lies, corruption and injustice — and the valiant members of Canada’s fifth estate who wielded pen and paper to hold those in power to account.

Now, before you begin your journey through the history of the Michener Awards, let’s imagine its next fifty years. I, for one, am excited for the future of this award. It has persisted time and time again, despite facing all manner of challenges. It now finds itself supported more widely through its partnership with the Rideau Hall Foundation, to help ensure its broad reach and impact and sustainability into the future.

While the future of the Michener looks bright, it’s easy to become complacent, and in complacency lies disaster, not just for an important institution, but for our democracy as whole. According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, Canada’s trust in media has eroded from 2022 to 2023, and now stands at 50 per cent overall — with only 21 per cent trust in social media. Edelman’s central theme for 2023 is polarization, with the Battle for Truth highlighted as one of four main contributing factors. What’s more, media organizations and newsrooms across the country continue to face dark and difficult days: declining ad revenues, rising costs of operations and disappearing web views as a result of Meta’s response to Canada’s Online News Act.

As I write this introduction, we mourn the loss of yet another local newspaper and Michener Award finalist from 2021. Kamloops This Week published its last paper on October 25, 2023, after thirty-five years in business, leaving its community without a local paper. As Margo Goodhand, current President of the Michener Award Foundation, so eloquently said about the paper’s demise, “Kamloops is losing more than twenty-six local jobs. It’s losing a newsroom with integrity, something that has become increasingly rare in the media landscape. And that’s sad news for people who still believe journalism is a fundamental pillar of democracy.”

While the weight of preserving journalism as a means of serving the public good and safeguarding our democracy cannot rest solely on the shoulders of one relatively small organization, the Michener Awards clearly have a role to play in turning the tide on Canadians’ trust in the media. This will be done by continuing to recognize and celebrate the kind of journalism that is both powerful and transformative, that requires taking risks which often result in few rewards. The kind of journalism that epitomizes the selflessness of its supporters. So, as you flip the pages of this very fine book, join me in saying cheers to the journalists who continue to shine light into dark corners. Cheers to the newsrooms and media organizations who champion and make space for their work. And, of course, cheers to the Michener Award, for its enduring commitment to lifting up dynamic, independent and important journalism, and in so doing, reminding the rest of us of the peril we would find ourselves in without it.

The Honourable David Johnston

28th Governor General of Canada and Chair of the Rideau Hall Foundation

October 31, 2023