Arthur Wood accepts the 1988 Michener Citation of Merit award from Governor General Jeanne Sauvé on behalf of the Winnipeg Free Press.
The newspaper was recognized for 'Strangers in Their Own Land', a compelling study of the problems of Indians in Manitoba and the despair, rather than hope, facing Canada's native people in the future. The study was described in detail in a 24-page supplement distributed with one issue of the daily newspaper and provided solid evidence that Indians in the province have made no progress at all in the last 20 years. Instead, they have fallen behind, despite government spending.
The award was presented during a ceremony held at Rideau Hall on November 16th, 1989.
The judging for the Michener Award goes beyond journalistic merit to consider what the project has accomplished, the absence of self-serving journalistic interest, and the resources available to entrants so that larger and smaller competitors are on a more equal basis.