Latest news with #Bolan
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Postmedia's Kim Bolan one of three honoured for courageous reporting by Canadian Association of Journalists
Postmedia News reporter Kim Bolan was one of three Canadian journalists recognized at an awards ceremony in Calgary this weekend for their contributions to the craft. The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) announced that Bolan, Daniel Renaud and David Pugliese won the prestigious Charles Bury President's Award. 'Kim, Daniel and David have all exhibited incredible levels of courage and determination to persevere through unprecedented challenges to tell stories that matter,' said CAJ president Brent Jolly. 'They are living proof that even in today's fragmented age, journalism matters. The power of the pen to tell the truth and expose wrongdoing is an endeavour that is so vital to the proper functioning of our society.' Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Bolan has reported for the Vancouver Sun since 1984. She has reported on wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Afghanistan, covered the Air India terrorist attack and its aftermath, and spent much of her career 'shining a spotlight on a long list of minority, women's, education and social service issues,' said the CAJ in a news release on Sunday. Bolan was also the first Canadian to win the International Women's Media Foundation's Courage in Journalism Award in 1999. 'Despite numerous threats on her life over the past 40 years from gangs and militant groups, Bolan's commitment to the craft has been unwavering,' Jolly said. Renaud, who works for La Presse in Montreal, was honoured after reports surfaced last year that chronicled how he had been targeted for assassination for reporting on organized crime in 2021. Pugliese has been with Postmedia's Ottawa Citizen for more than 40 years and specializes in covering the ever-secretive Department of National Defence. Last year, he was accused of being a paid KGB agent in the 1980s by a former federal cabinet minister testifying at a House of Commons committee meeting on Russian political interference. Jolly called the allegations, which have never been repeated outside Parliament, 'nothing more than a McCarthy-esque smear job.' The Charles Bury Award was presented last year to the Committee to Protect Journalists for their commitment to ensuring the safety and security of journalists who work in some of the most dangerous environments around the world. The annual award recognizes both organizations and individual journalists for contributing to a free press. jruttle@
Malaysian Reserve
5 days ago
- Malaysian Reserve
The Canadian Association of Journalists celebrates three journalists for their courage, perseverance and dedication to public service journalism with the annual Charles Bury Award
CALGARY, AB, May 31, 2025 /CNW/ – The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) announced that journalists Kim Bolan, Daniel Renaud, and David Pugliese have been recognized with this year's prestigious Charles Bury President's Award at the annual CAJ Awards ceremony held earlier this evening in downtown Calgary. 'Kim, Daniel and David have all exhibited incredible levels of courage and determination to persevere through unprecedented challenges to tell stories that matter,' said Brent Jolly, CAJ president, in a speech announcing the awards. 'They are living proof that even in today's fragmented age, journalism matters. The power of the pen to tell the truth and expose wrongdoing is an endeavour that is so vital to the proper functioning of our society.' Bolan has been a reporter at the Vancouver Sun since 1984. During that time, she has reported internationally on wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Afghanistan. Domestically, she has covered the Air India story from the night it happened on June 23, 1985. She has also spent her career shining a spotlight on a long list of minority, women's, education, and social service issues. Bolan was also the first Canadian to win the International Women's Media Foundation's Courage in Journalism Award in 1999. 'Despite numerous threats on her life over the past 40 years from gangs and militant groups, Bolan's commitment to the craft has been unwavering,' Jolly said. Renaud is a reporter who specializes in reporting on organized crime at La Presse. He was recognized after a report came to light late last year that chronicled how he had been targeted for assassination in organized crime in 2021. In Nov 2024, La Presse reported that Frédérick Silva, a professional killer-turned-police informer, placed a $100,000 bounty on Renaud's life while he was covering Silva's trial for three murders. Earlier this year, Renaud was recognized by World Press Freedom Canada with its annual Press Freedom Award. 'Renaud's experience was a shocking revelation that should send a chill down the spine of every journalist in Canada,' Jolly said. 'But even when his life was on the line, he did not cower to pressure. He maintained his wherewithal and resolve and did his job, which was to shine a light on the clandestine operations of organized crime.' Pugliese has spent more than 40 years working at the Ottawa Citizen, where he specializes in covering one of Canada's most secretive government departments – the Department of National Defence. Late last October, Pugliese was accused of being a paid KGB agent in the 1980s by Chris Alexander, a former federal cabinet minister. At the time of the comments, Alexander was testifying, under privilege, before a House of Commons committee meeting on Russian interference and disinformation campaigns. Alexander has never repeated the claims in a forum where he could be sued for defamation. 'These allegations were nothing more than a McCarthy-esque smear job,' Jolly said. 'But what they show us is a shift in tactics to spread disinformation. Rather than question the accuracy of a deeply reported investigative story, bad actors now attack a journalist's credibility in an effort to impune critical inquiry. So, if you can't refute the truth, then the next best course of action is to attack the messenger.' Last year, the Charles Bury Award was presented to the Committee to Protect Journalists for their continued commitment to ensuring the safety and security of journalists who work in some of the most dangerous environments around the world. Previous winners of the Bury Award include: journalists Jerome Turner, Jessie Winter, and Amber Bracken; the late Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi and Journal de Montréal crime reporter Michel Auger; and Radio-Canada investigative reporter Marie-Maude Denis. Organizations that have won the Bury Award include: The Aboriginal People's Television Network, J-Source, Massey College and the Canadian Media Lawyers Association. The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.
Cision Canada
5 days ago
- Cision Canada
The Canadian Association of Journalists celebrates three journalists for their courage, perseverance and dedication to public service journalism with the annual Charles Bury Award
CALGARY, AB, May 31, 2025 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) announced that journalists Kim Bolan, Daniel Renaud, and David Pugliese have been recognized with this year's prestigious Charles Bury President's Award at the annual CAJ Awards ceremony held earlier this evening in downtown Calgary. "Kim, Daniel and David have all exhibited incredible levels of courage and determination to persevere through unprecedented challenges to tell stories that matter," said Brent Jolly, CAJ president, in a speech announcing the awards. "They are living proof that even in today's fragmented age, journalism matters. The power of the pen to tell the truth and expose wrongdoing is an endeavour that is so vital to the proper functioning of our society." Bolan has been a reporter at the Vancouver Sun since 1984. During that time, she has reported internationally on wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Afghanistan. Domestically, she has covered the Air India story from the night it happened on June 23, 1985. She has also spent her career shining a spotlight on a long list of minority, women's, education, and social service issues. Bolan was also the first Canadian to win the International Women's Media Foundation's Courage in Journalism Award in 1999. "Despite numerous threats on her life over the past 40 years from gangs and militant groups, Bolan's commitment to the craft has been unwavering," Jolly said. Renaud is a reporter who specializes in reporting on organized crime at La Presse. He was recognized after a report came to light late last year that chronicled how he had been targeted for assassination in organized crime in 2021. In Nov 2024, La Presse reported that Frédérick Silva, a professional killer-turned-police informer, placed a $100,000 bounty on Renaud's life while he was covering Silva's trial for three murders. Earlier this year, Renaud was recognized by World Press Freedom Canada with its annual Press Freedom Award. "Renaud's experience was a shocking revelation that should send a chill down the spine of every journalist in Canada," Jolly said. "But even when his life was on the line, he did not cower to pressure. He maintained his wherewithal and resolve and did his job, which was to shine a light on the clandestine operations of organized crime." Pugliese has spent more than 40 years working at the Ottawa Citizen, where he specializes in covering one of Canada's most secretive government departments - the Department of National Defence. Late last October, Pugliese was accused of being a paid KGB agent in the 1980s by Chris Alexander, a former federal cabinet minister. At the time of the comments, Alexander was testifying, under privilege, before a House of Commons committee meeting on Russian interference and disinformation campaigns. Alexander has never repeated the claims in a forum where he could be sued for defamation. "These allegations were nothing more than a McCarthy-esque smear job," Jolly said. "But what they show us is a shift in tactics to spread disinformation. Rather than question the accuracy of a deeply reported investigative story, bad actors now attack a journalist's credibility in an effort to impune critical inquiry. So, if you can't refute the truth, then the next best course of action is to attack the messenger." Last year, the Charles Bury Award was presented to the Committee to Protect Journalists for their continued commitment to ensuring the safety and security of journalists who work in some of the most dangerous environments around the world. Previous winners of the Bury Award include: journalists Jerome Turner, Jessie Winter, and Amber Bracken; the late Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi and Journal de Montréal crime reporter Michel Auger; and Radio-Canada investigative reporter Marie-Maude Denis. Organizations that have won the Bury Award include: The Aboriginal People's Television Network, J-Source, Massey College and the Canadian Media Lawyers Association.
Edmonton Journal
26-04-2025
- Edmonton Journal
Postmedia wins National Newspaper Awards, including Journalist of the Year
Article content The Calgary Herald/Calgary Sun was also nominated for the John Honderich Award for Project of the Year for its 'Squeezed' series, which looked at the rising cost of living and how it's affected Calgarians. Kim Bolan, a veteran crime reporter at the Vancouver Sun/The Province, was nominated for the Norman Webster Award for International Reporting. Bolan reported from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Southeast Asia, detailing the reach of B.C.'s criminal organizations. In the local reporting category, which Beswick won, Julia Peterson at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix had also been nominated, for her extensive coverage of the two inquests into the James Smith Cree Nation mass killings. And in the sports reporting category, Ken Warren and Tony Caldwell at the Ottawa Citizen/Ottawa Sun were nominated for their feature about an Ottawa man who cuts a hole through the ice so he can hop in for a daily swim. The awards were announced at a gala Friday evening in Montreal. The NNAs received 864 entries from 82 publications across Canada for the 2024 iteration of its awards.
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US judge skeptical of Trump's 'gender ideology' arts grants restrictions
March 27 (Reuters) - A federal judge appeared open on Thursday to blocking President Donald Trump's administration from requiring arts organizations to certify they will not promote "gender ideology" to obtain grant funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Senior U.S. District Judge William Smith during a hearing in Providence, Rhode Island, questioned how such a policy could be reconciled with federal law, "which prohibits requiring grant recipients from engaging in essentially government propaganda." The NEA first adopted that criterion last month to implement an executive order the Republican president signed upon returning to office on January 20 that directed the government to recognize only two sexes - male and female - and required agencies to ensure grant funds do not promote "gender ideology." Several arts and theater groups represented by the American Civil Liberties Union sued, opens new tab, saying the policy would force them to self-censor to obtain funding and alter the scope of artistic projects that involve transgender characters or LGBTQ actors. After the lawsuit was filed, the NEA withdrew its certification requirement pending further review, with plans to issue a new policy by April 30. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Bolan argued that decision meant the request for an injunction sought by the Rhode Island Latino Arts, the National Queer Theater, the Theater Offensive and the Theatre Communications Group was moot. "The circumstances have changed," Bolan said. But Smith told Bolan the agency's decision to voluntarily end the policy appeared manipulative and designed so the government could argue the request for an injunction was moot when it was likely the NEA would just re-adopt the same requirement. "I really do struggle to see how the agency could not do exactly what it has already done under the plain terms of the executive order without violating the executive order," said Smith, an appointee of Republican President George W. Bush. The judge said such a requirement appeared to contradict the agency's governing statute, the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, which requires grants to be issued based on artistic merit and excellence, without regard to particular viewpoints. Vera Eidelman, a lawyer with the ACLU, said the policy was clearly a viewpoint-based eligibility bar that ran afoul of not just that statute but also the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment's free speech protections. She said by law, the NEA had been barred from directing, supervising or controlling a funded organization's policies or personnel in order to further its mission of fostering "the material conditions for releasing this creative talent." "All of these restrictions were meant to prevent the NEA from becoming essentially a government propaganda machine, allowing political control of culture," she said. Smith promised to rule by April 4, citing a looming deadline three days later for arts organizations to submit applications for grant funding for the 2026 fiscal year. While he did not promise an injunction, he said one would help get the plaintiffs "out of this Hobson's choice they have to make about whether to submit a proposal they want to submit versus the proposal they think they might have to submit." The case is Rhode Island Latino Arts v. National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, No. 1:25-cv-00079. For the plaintiffs: Vera Eidelman and Scarlet Kim of the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation. For the government: Kevin Bolan of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island
