Thursday, November 24, 2016
COPA 2016 Recap - Check out the Rising new stars in the Digital Scene in Canada

While we are seeing consolidation in the media industry with recent changes made by the corporate bean counters at Rogers Media, TVA Publications, Post Media and Toronto Star. it is not all doom and gloom in the publishing industry in Canada as we see a new crop of winners at this year COPAs held at the sold out event at the Double Tree Hilton in Toronto on November 7. 
  
Some of the new rising stars include Independent media brands National Observer from Vancouver and Planet F Magazine in Montreal a French language family magazine. Vice Canada another new winner is a partnership with Rogers Media that includes a cable TV station. This month’s blog will showcase the gold medal entries from these rising stars in the digital media scene in Canada.

National Observer
National Observer is an independent media outlet that focuses on climate, political and finance news and is published in English and French. It has a team of award-winning journalists that are based all over Canada and delivers ground breaking news and investigative reports about those in power. The National Observer won 3 Gold and 1 Silver this year including Independent Publisher of the year. This Vancouver base publication has traffic of over 500K visitors per month on their website with 32% in Ontario, 31% in BC, 14% in Alberta and 7% in Quebec


 



























ENTRY PROFILE

Sandy Garossino’s biting columns have attracted over one million unique visits to National Observer in the last 12 months. The former Crown prosecutor pulls no punches as she calls the powerful to account for exploitation and manipulation, and exposes links between big money, stardom and a culture of irresponsibility that often comes with both.

In SHAMELESS, Garossino exposes questionable tax subsidies afforded to wealthy parents of private school students — a real slap in the face, she writes, for average taxpayers as budget cuts force public school closures across the country. Her column, YELLOW STAIN, further calls out Postmedia for wrapping a yellow paper endorsement around its publications across Canada. Her stinging analysis of the Ghomeshi trial, which attracted a knockout 240,000 page views, was a unique synthesis of legal, feminist, journalistic, and political perspectives.

In conclusion, Garossino leverages her legal expertise, personal experience, and addictive style of snarky writing to boldly go where no other columnists have gone. Each of her contributions winds up a smash-hit, and many have landed her spots as a commentator on TV programs and radio shows across Canada.

ENTRY LINKS
www.nationalobserver.com/2015/10/18/opinion/yellow-stain-bystander-bigotry-newspaper-endorsements
www.nationalobserver.com/2016/06/22/opinion/shameless-hidden-private-school-tax-haven-rich
www.nationalobserver.com/2016/05/12/opinion/borel%E2%80%99s-counterpunch-blindsides-henein-knocks-out-ghomeshi

CREDITS
Sandy Garossino Associate Editor, columnist


Planète F Magazine

Planète F is Quebec based french language wesbite that has over 15,000 visitors. You won't find cupcakes recipes or ideas for Halloween costumes as it  takes a different approach for parents that addresses controversial issues, to stimulate discussion and debate on social issues that affects the family. The web based magazine is not about parenting, it’s about parenthood and this approach was recognized as Planète F Magazine won  2 gold and 2 silver at tis year’s COPA’s including Best Article.

 

ENTRY PROFILE 
Work-life balance is the topic of the 21st century for families. If fathers become more involved with children, mothers are more active in the labor market. But institutions still expect a traditional model where the mother is at home. In this case, we used social networks to involve people with questions about their family situation. This file was presented to the National Assembly during a parliamentary committee on equality between women and men that include a dossier of 9 articles on parental equality.

La conciliation travail-famille est LE sujet du 21e siècle pour les familles. Si les pères s'impliquent davantage auprès des enfants, les mères sont plus présentes sur le marché du travail. Mais les institutions s'attendent encore à un modèle traditionnel où la mère est à la maison. Et si l'égalité était une question culturelle... Dans ce dossier, nous avons utilisé les réseaux sociaux pour faire participer les gens avec des questions sur leur situation familiale. Ce dossier a été présenté à l'Assemblée nationale lors d'une commission parlementaire sur l'égalité entre les femmes et les hommes. Un dossier de 9 articles sur l'égalité des parents.

ENTRY LINKS
www.planetef.com/dossier/parents-etes-vous-egaux       
www.planetef.com/dossier/parents-etes-vous-egaux/les-meres-un-frein-a-legalite
www.planetef.com/dossier/parents-etes-vous-egaux/histoire-de-parents-egaux
www.planetef.com/dossier/parents-etes-vous-egaux/conciliation-au-masculin
www.planetef.com/dossier/parents-etes-vous-egaux/parents-candidats-aux-elections

CREDITS
Mariève Paradis, Editor, Publisher
Bruno Geoffroy, Marilyse Hamelin, Sarah Poulin-Chartrand, Writers


Vice News Canada

VICE News Canada produces youth (18-34) oriented content to a Canadian audience, in both official languages, reaching 30 million readers a month worldwide with a large USA readership.  VICE's provocative content is available across multiple platforms including, digital verticals, mobile apps, television, print and a suite of YouTube channels. Vice News Canada won gold for Best Continuing Coverage of a story at this year’s COPA’s beating out some of the big guys.
 

 

ENTRY PROFILE
Through immersive reporting, VICE News Canada looked at the problem of rampant boil water advisories on First Nations across Canada. In a two-part documentary, we visited two First Nations reserves, Shoal Lake 40 and Neskantaga, each with longstanding boil water advisories. During a VICE Canada-hosted town hall ahead of election day, VICE News Canada pinned Prime Minister-to-be Justin Trudeau to a promise of ending boil water advisories within five years—a promise he had not previously made.

We examined what the federal government would need to do to solve the issue, and looked at how a new program is empowering young Indigenous people to end boil water advisories on their reserves.

ENTRY LINKS
www.vice.com/en_ca/video/canadas-waterless-community-shoal-lake-40
www.vice.com/en_ca/video/canadas-waterless-communities-neskantaga
http://news.vice.com/article/these-people-havent-had-clean-water-to-drink-for-20-years-in-canada
http://news.vice.com/article/canadas-liberals-vow-to-end-rampant-boil-water-advisories-on-reserves
http://news.vice.com/article/meet-the-indigenous-youth-that-could-solve-canadas-water-crisis

CREDITS
Hilary Beaumont Staff Reporter
Allya Davidson. Producer
Natalie Alcoba. Managing Editor
Rachel Browne Staff Reporter
Ksenia Yurganova Associate Producer

(BTW the calling of the communities as First Nations is an appropriate description versus calling them Indigenous, which I feel is derogatory. These are people and are not a type of floral and not deserving of a scientific description. This has to change and is not politically correct in my opinion)

 

- Martin Seto
About Me
Martin Seto

 
Martin Seto is the producer of the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPAS) with 30 years of life expereince in technology, advertising, media and creative exploration. He can be reached at marty(dot)seto(at)
reflexmediasales.com or 416-907-6562, and on LinkedIn.

Most Recent Blog Comment
Lorene Shyba says:
Full of terrific information, Thanks!...
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