Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 21, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknifer, reporting on a diamond class town of a million stories, won a bunch of first and second Awards of Excellence at the Alberta Weekly Newspaper awards last week.

Mike W. Bryant Erika Sherk

Assignment editor Mike W. Bryant, who often sheds his serious journalism hat to become the world-renowned Fishin' Technician, won hands down in the Best Feature Column category with a column headlined Full Monty fishin'.

In line with Bryant's fearless approach to fishing adventures with the powerful and famous, this time it was a romp with those shirtless cocoa buttered boys who call themselves the Fantasy male dancers, still sweaty from the Raven Pub.

"This piece by Mike W. Bryant was quite simply, entertaining," commented the judge. "Such creativity deserves to be rewarded."

Bryant, back at the serious stuff again, also won second best in the Best feature story - Miracle on the Barrens - a gripping tale of bush pilot Robert Gauchie's 58 days surviving in the Barrenlands in minus 60 degree weather after landing his plane when he ran out of fuel.

Yellowknifer Business writer Erika Sherk impressed the judges in the Best Column or Feature on a Business Topic, winning second spot with Lover of Lights: Special Report. Reporting on the Aurora watching tourism market, the judges commented: "This entry won because of its depth. Like the first place entry in this category, this is a good example of reporter initiative."

Yellowknifer Business Editor John Curran, Coordinating Editor Terry Kruger and Managing Editor Bruce Valpy together hammered out a hard-hitting opinion on the state of the secondary diamond industry in Yellowknife. Giving it top spot in the Best Local editorial on a Business Topic, the judge described the winning editorial as, "An argument; a strong explanation of the issue; specific answers - this is what an editorial should be."

Yellowknifer's sister publications Inuvik Drum and Deh Cho Drum were also recognized by the judges for journalistic excellence.

Inuvik Drum editor Dez Loreen won second in the Best Local Editorial category. Headlined - Being a kid is not a crime, Loreen's editorial defended the town's skateboarders. "Does a good job in explaining a specific issue (improvements on a skateboard park) while at the same time bridging the gap between young and old."

Deh Cho Drum's editor Roxanna Thompson won second in the best Trades Technology award. Her story focused on students and their success in a trade technology skills program in the Deh Cho.

"Right from the first sentence," the judge observed, " readers of this piece are being set up for a transformation - and we're not disappointed. Roxanna Thompson pours the foundation, then builds the structure of a successful school initiative."

The Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association has 113 member newspapers throughout Alberta and the Northwest Territories with a combined verified circulation of 634,995. Yellowknifer, Deh Cho Drum and Inuvik Drum are owned by Northern News Services Ltd.