Michael Harris, publisher and editor-in-chief receives an 'Honourable Mention' award from Governor General Ramon Hnatyshyn. The weekly St. John's Sunday Express was runner up for the 1989 Michener Award for meritorious public service journalism.
The newspaper was the first Newfoundland news organization to publish a first-hand account on abuses at the Mount Cashew orphanage, long regarded as a haven for orphans and children from broken homes.
The citation was presented during a ceremony held at Rideau Hall, June 19, 1990.
The Michener Award for meritorious public journalism, sponsored by the Michener Awards Foundation, was launched in 1970 under the auspices of the late Roland Michener, then governor general. The award is for outstanding and disinterested public service in journalism. It is presented annually to a news organization - newspapers, broadcasting stations and networks, news agencies and periodicals are eligible - rather than an individual.