SARNIA Reporter Shawn Jeffords has set another milestone in the Observer’s history.
Jeffords was named Journalist of the Year at Saturday’s Ontario Newspaper Awards in Hamilton. He is the first reporter in the Observer’s history to win the much coveted award.
Jeffords, now with the St. Catharines Standard, was recognized for his series “Hooked,” an in-depth look into Sarnia’s out-of-control prescription drug crisis. This series also recently earned a National Newspaper Award and another ONA in the feature writing category (under 25,000 circulation) Saturday.
Jeffords spent almost two years on the series, weaving insight from police, doctors and frontline workers with the powerful experiences of Nancy Roy, a recovering Oxycontin addict.
“In a lot of ways, the credit really goes to Nancy Roy who was brave enough to tell her story to me and to the community,” Jeffords said Sunday. “It wasn’t easy for her to do and I really have to give her a lot of credit.”
Observer senior news editor Jack Poirier said the series opened a lot of eyes to the growing epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse in the community.
“We’re very proud of Shawn’s accomplishment,” he said. “It’s journalism like this that makes a difference in the community.
“Through extensive interviews with Nancy Roy and others, Shawn gave readers a glimpse into how an everyday person can be sucked into addiction. His series was sharp, shocking and yet ultimately inspirational.”
Jeffords credits the support of Poirier and fellow senior news editor George Mathewson.
“(They) helped shepherd the project along,” Jeffords said. “They deserve a lot of credit because they really believed in it.”
Jeffords remained humble about his win Saturday.
“You do your work and you hope that people read it,” he said. “You never really expect these sorts of accolades are going to come your way, but I’m really thankful.”
Windsor Star’s Sarah Sacheli and the Hamilton Spectator’s Nicole O’Reilly were runners-up for Journalist of the Year.
-Article written by Sarnia Observer staff.
