Coast Reporter associate publisher and editor John Gleeson has won the Jack Webster Foundation’s 2018 City Mike Award as Commentator of the Year. The award was presented in Vancouver Oct. 29.
The City Mike Award is named after the groundbreaking Radio CJOR program that established Jack Webster as one of B.C.’s pre-eminent commentators, and recognizes journalists who present informed, intelligent and impactful commentary in print, TV, radio or online.
“The whole team at Coast Reporter is delighted by this well-deserved recognition of John’s work,” publisher Peter Kvarnstrom said.
Gleeson’s commentary was judged based on five opinion columns and editorials published in Coast Reporter over a 12-month period: “The difference one doctor makes” (June 23, 2017), “Myles Gray investigation takes disturbing turn” (Oct. 13, 2017), “Siwash Rock according to Pauline” (Oct. 20, 2017), “The freedom they died for” (Nov. 10, 2017) and “Paying for pipeline is beyond the pale” (April 20, 2018).
In his acceptance speech Gleeson said listening to Webster and the other giants of Vancouver talk radio, Pat Burns and Ed Murphy, as a youngster with his late father Frank helped shape his later work.
The full speech appears here.
Jack Webster Awards were also handed out in 12 reporting categories, with four going to CBC, three to the Vancouver Sun/The Province, two to Global BC News, and one each to The Canadian Press, Ming Pao Daily, and the 100 Mile House Free Press/Ashcroft Cache Creek Journal.
Retired Global BC assignment editor Clive Jackson received the 2018 Bruce Hutchinson Lifetime Achievement Award and Donna Logan, founding director of the UBC Graduate School of Journalism, was this year’s Bill Good Award recipient.
Broadcast journalist Keith Morrison was guest speaker at the award ceremony, held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Vancouver.
