EDMONTON – A two-part series about assisted suicide, featured on Global Edmonton this past spring, has been honoured by the Canadian Medical Association with an Excellence in Health Reporting award.
The series – produced by Edmonton’s health reporter Su-Ling Goh, photographer Morris Gamblin and editor Clarisse Porca – focused on both the legal and ethical issues surrounding assisted suicide, along with the story of Calgary woman Amy Doolittle, who suffered from ALS.
She was outspoken about dying with the help of a doctor, but since assisted suicide is against the law in Canada, she ended up taking her own life.
The stories created a lot of debate on the controversial issue. You can watch both of them below:
“This is a huge honour to be recognized by the Canadian Medical Association,” said Su-Ling Goh. “I really want to thank editor Clarisse Porca and photographer Morris Gamblin for pouring their hearts into this visually challenging series. And of course I owe the most gratitude to the Doolittle family for sharing their heartbreaking story. When I told them about the award, they said it was wonderful news – especially for Amy.”
Independent panels of individuals with backgrounds in journalism, medicine and health care went through more than 100 submissions before picking 11 winning entries.
“I offer my thanks to the judges for making the tough choices and my congratulations to the winners for their excellent coverage of what can be a challenging field,” said Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti, president of the CMA.
The CMA Awards, which will be handed out in Ottawa next month, honour journalism that enhances understanding of health, the health care system and the role of health professionals.
Watch what Su-Ling Goh had to say about the series:
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