The Webster Awards winners were announced Tuesday evening — several of which were won by Global BC.
The Webster Awards are the preeminent journalism awards for Western Canada, which is sponsored by the Jack Webster Foundation. The awards recognize excellence in journalism in B.C. for stories published between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023.
Global BC’s Sarah Macdonald and Clayton Little were the big winners with their story Failed in Life and Death: The Story of Noelle O’Soup, which won the Best News Reporting of the Year award. Their work detailed the tragic story of Noelle O’Soup, a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found in a Vancouver apartment.
Global BC’s Paul Johnson and Cody Chaban won the Excellence in Health Reporting for their Diversion of Drugs story. They investigated how doctor-prescribed opioid drugs were being diverted into the open-air drug market.
Global BC’s Sophie Lui was this year’s recipient of the Shelley Fralic Award — which is given to celebrate a journalist who is concerned with making the community a better place.
The Jack Webster Foundation said the awards are given to recognize excellence in B.C. journalism.
The Jack Webster Foundation was created in 1986, upon the retirement of Jack Webster, who was known to be one of the most influential reporters in the province at the time. The foundation was built to “foster and celebrate excellence in journalism.”