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 Ms.
Christie Blatchford – 2006 Ross Munro Media Award Recipient
19 September 2006, Ottawa. The
Conference of Defence Associations (CDA), in concert with the
Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI), is pleased
to announce that Ms. Christie Blatchford, a columnist with the
Globe and Mail, has been chosen as the recipient of the 2006 Ross
Munro Media Award. Matthew Fisher of CanWest News Services and
Mitch Potter of the Toronto Star have also been awarded honourable
mentions.
The
Ross Munro Media Award was initiated in 2002 to recognize Canadian
journalists who have made a significant and extraordinary
contribution to increasing public understanding of Canadian
defence and security issues. Recipients of the award have produced
outstanding work regarding the efforts of the Canadian Forces in
preserving Canadian democratic values (for more details see
www.cda-cdai.ca).
The award consists of a replica of the Ross Munro statue and a
cheque for $2,500. Previous recipients of the Award are Stephen
Thorne, Garth Pritchard, Sharon Hobson, and Bruce Campion-Smith.
Ms.
Blatchford was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Québec. She graduated from
Ryerson Polytechnic (now Ryerson University) with a degree in
journalism. While at Ryerson, she began working at the Globe and
Mail as a copy editor. During her career, Ms. Blatchford has
worked as a columnist and reporter for the Globe and Mail, the
Toronto Star, the Toronto Sun, and the National Post. She returned
to the Globe and Mail in 2002. She previously won the National
Newspaper Award in 1999 for column writing.
The
Ross Munro Media Award Selection Committee singled Ms. Blatchford
out from the other candidates based on her compelling work on the
Canadian Forces, particularly in Afghanistan: “Christie Blatchford
brings to the theatre of hostilities her keen eye and curiosity.
She writes superb prose that conveys the experience of the
Canadians’ war in Afghanistan. She obviously understands the
soldiers and she has grasped the comradeship that binds them
together. She not only informs Canadians of today’s military
realities, but champions values such as honour and sacrifice. She
is exceptionally evocative, superbly descriptive, and develops a
compelling storyline.”
The
Selection Committee was chaired by Lieutenant-General (Ret’d)
Richard Evraire, Chairman CDA. Members of the Selection Committee
were Dr. Jack Granatstein, Canadian Military Historian; Mr. Peter
Kent, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Global TV News and president of
the Canadian War Correspondents Association; Mr. Stuart Robertson,
of O’Donnell, Robertson & Sanfilippo; and Colonel (Ret’d) Charles
Keple, Vice-Chairman CDA, Public Affairs.
The
Award will be presented at the CDA Institute’s Vimy Award Dinner,
17 November 2006, in the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of
Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec. The Honourable Mention
certificates will be presented at the luncheon during the CDA
Institute’s Annual Seminar, 15 February 2007, at the Chateau
Laurier in Ottawa.
If
you have any questions, contact Peter Forsberg, Public Affairs
Officer or Elizabeth Sneyd, CDA Institute Project Officer at:
TEL:
(613) 236-9903 FAX: (613) 236-8191 E-MAIL:
pao@cda-cdai-ca URL:
http://www.cda-cdai.ca
The Ross Munro Media Award was initiated in
2002 by the Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) in
collaboration with the Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs
Institute (CDFAI).
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