Governor General Adrienne Clarkson with staff members of The Independent, a finalist for the 2004 Michener Award - photo taken following a ceremony at Rideau Hall on April 14, 2005.
Left to Right: Independent managing editor Ryan Cleary; Her Excellency Adrienne Clarkson; His Excellency John Ralston Saul; Independent photo editor, Paul Daly.
The weekly newspaper received the Citation of Merit for a six-part cost-benefit analysis of Newfoundland Labrador in Confederation and was published in the fall of 2004.
The series suggested that the benefit for the rest of Canada far outweighed benefits enjoyed by Newfoundland Labrador - especially in the area of natural resources. The series sparked a national debate about the merits of equalization and the province’s role in Canada.
The first award covered the calendar year 1970. Since then, a rich variety of news organizations have had their names inscribed on Michener trophies - print and broadcast, large and small, French and English, East and West. The Michener was also the first national journalism award open to both broadcast and print media. The award goes to the news organization itself, rather than the individual journalists involved in the story.