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Here's what we're up against....

Global tech giants blocking Canadian news on their platforms. Political candidates purposely eroding trust in journalists. AI slop enabling a flourishing of misinformation online, with no accountability. Billionaire newspaper owners blatantly interfering with the editorial choices of their newsrooms.

To be a news publisher these days, committed to the slow, methodical work of talking to real people, verifying facts, is incredibly challenging. Not only are there bad actors that intentionally try to stymy good quality reporting, the business environment for journalism has been fundamentally disrupted, meaning that many of the institutions we used to rely on for high-quality journalism are struggling.

Against many odds, though, The Tyee is making it work, with the help of our readers. We've chosen a path that seems improbable -- we don't have a paywall, and we're very selective with our advertising partners that we work with. And we've been growing our team of professional journalists and increased our freelance budget. The only reason we can do this is because a small percentage of our readers chip in to our editorial budget through our Tyee Builders program.

This amazing group of readers means that The Tyee has persisted and published essential public-interest journalism for the past 21 years, and we have a good shot at being around for a long time in the future. But we can only maintain and grow our operations if readers continue to show up.

In this time of uncertainty, and with a federal election coming up, we need good journalism now more than ever. If you appreciate what you read on The Tyee and would like to help our independent, non-profit do more, please consider joining Tyee Builders today. You choose the amount, the frequency, and you can cancel at any time.

— Jeanette Ageson, publisher

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Media

Tyee Journalists Snag Six More National Award Nominations

From the Digital Publishing Awards to the Jackman, we’re delighted by the news. The secret ingredient? Reader support.

Jackie Wong 25 Apr 2024The Tyee

Jackie Wong is a senior editor at The Tyee.

A photographer waves his hands to get the attention of the family he is photographing, many of whom are seniors.
Photographer Larry Chin tries to wrangle nearly 400 people into a group portrait in ‘The Yips Are in the House Again,’ a Tyee feature by Christopher Cheung nominated for a 2024 Digital Publishing Award. Photo for The Tyee by Christopher Cheung.

It’s been a big week in the world of The Tyee. On Tuesday, we launched our 20th anniversary anthology Points of Interest before a sold-out crowd in Vancouver, and the book is now a B.C. bestseller. Also that day, we received exciting news from Toronto: the Canadian Journalism Foundation nominated Tyee journalists for two national awards celebrating journalism excellence and journalism that enhances awareness of women’s equality.

Today, we woke up to yet more good news: the Digital Publishing Awards has nominated four Tyee journalists across three exciting award categories. That’s six award nominations to close this week, mirroring the excitement across the team last week, when Tyee journalists were nominated for six awards from the Canadian Association of Journalists.

The weekend before that, The Tyee's northern B.C. reporter Amanda Follett Hosgood received the Art Downs Award, a journalism award from the BC Wildlife Federation that recognizes excellence in writing and commitment to conservation and the environment for her 2023 feature on the fate of the Skeena steelhead. Follett Hosgood's reporting was recognized on the last day of the BC Wildlife Federation's annual general meeting and convention on April 13.

Here’s a look at the fine journalism that brought us to this moment, thanks to the support of our readers and Tyee Builders.

CANADIAN JOURNALISM FOUNDATION NOMINEES

Chelsea, Noelle and Tatyanna Went Missing. Did Police Do Enough to Find Them?
In three tragic cases, the families of missing Indigenous women and youth encountered baffling police decisions and delays.

Tyee staff reporter Jen St. Denis is a finalist for the prodigious Landsberg Award that celebrates journalism that enhances awareness of women’s equality. St. Denis’s investigation on the disappearances of Chelsea Poorman, Tatyanna Harrison and Noelle O’Soup, three Indigenous women from Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, is described by juror Denise Balkissoon as “amazing dedication and long-term work.”

A triad of various photos of a young woman, Chelsea Poorman. In the first photo she is wearing a blue graduation cap and gown and holding a high school diploma. In the second she is looking at the screen on a digital SLR camera. In the third she is wearing a beige sweater and holding a dog.
Chelsea Poorman’s family said she was ‘happy and positive’ despite the many challenges in her life. Photos supplied.

Bracing for Disasters
Climate calamities will increase in BC. What can we learn from survivors? What must be done to help evacuees and save lives?

The Tyee and the Climate Disaster Project are finalists for the Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism, led by Tyee contributor Francesca Fionda and her Bracing for Disasters series.

A woman with curly hair and freckles, wearing a blue hat and bandana, stands in front of a white truck on a cut block.
Alanna Friend Lettner is a Digital Publishing Award nominee for her personal essay about working as a treeplanter in BC. Photo by Tess Frame.

DIGITAL PUBLISHING AWARD NOMINEES

Don’t Thank Me for Being a Tree Planter
The longer I do this work, the more I'm convinced its green public image is undeserved.

Tyee freelancer Alanna Friend Lettner’s essay on the tensions of working as a tree planter in an era of climate disaster is a finalist for Best Personal Essay.

An ethnically Chinese man in a short-sleeve button-up crosses the street in Vancouver’s Chinatown, with a crowd behind him.
Mel Yip is about to revisit his former home on Pender Street where he once lived on the sixth floor with three other Yip families. Originally built in 1889 by merchant Yip Sang, the Chinese Canadian Museum purchased the building last year and opened its doors on July 1. Photo for The Tyee by Christopher Cheung.

The Yips Are in the House Again
This Vancouver family witnessed seven generations of racism and triumph. Welcome to their big reunion.

Tyee staff reporter Christopher Cheung is a finalist for Best Arts & Culture Storytelling. His feature tracks the reunion of the Yip family of Vancouver. The Yips lived through seven generations of systemic racism and through it all, they stuck together: they were, after all, influential shapers of the city.

‘We Didn’t Treat it as a Park. That Was Our Home’
Tla’amin people have lived in Desolation Sound for generations. New efforts are underway to reclaim ancestral ties.

Tyee senior editor andrea bennett is a finalist for Best Arts & Culture Storytelling. Their piece explores the ancestral connections between the Tla’amin people and what is known as Desolation Sound, a popular vacation spot for settlers in B.C.

Kimberly Sayson, left, has shoulder-length black hair and glasses. She is wearing a black and white floral shirt and crouches to hold a piece of cardboard with a wide circle cutout in place while Jeffery Chong, right, secures it with black duct tape. He is standing and bending slightly, wearing a red plaid shirt and black jeans. Both are wearing white masks.
The Tyee’s operations manager Kimberly Sayson, left, holds a cardboard ‘shroud’ while her partner, Jeffery Chong, tapes it securely in place. The couple built a fleet of Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, a popular style of do-it-yourself air purifiers, to keep Tyee headquarters safe as Vancouver staff returned to work in the office. Photo for The Tyee by Christopher Cheung.

The People’s Filter
Going back to the office amidst COVID and wildfire smoke? Here's a do-it-yourself guide to air filtration.

Tyee contributor Zoë Yunker is a finalist for Best Service Feature. Yunker’s piece walks readers through the process of building their own Corsi-Rosenthal box, which cleans indoor air and can help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses. The piece features photos and videography by The Tyee’s Christopher Cheung.

Congratulations to all the finalists! Digital Publishing Award winners will be announced June 7 at Acadian Court in Toronto. Canadian Journalism Foundation award winners will be announced June 12 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

This work is made possible by the support of Tyee readers. Consider becoming a Tyee Builder today to bring more vibrant, public-interest journalism to life. [Tyee]

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