Post reporter honoured by Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians

National Post reporter Sharon Kirkey has been honoured by the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, the third straight year a Postmedia journalist has won the group’s Medical Journalism Award.

Kirkey received the prestigious award Monday night at the CAEP’s annual conference in Winnipeg. Her feature story diving deep into “Canada’s shockingly violent hospitals” ran in Postmedia papers across the country.

“This well-deserved award reflects Kirkey’s commitment to excellent journalism. Her dogged reporting has exposed serious gaps in Canada’s health-care system and highlighted the plight of violence in our hospitals,” said Aileen Donnelly, deputy editor of National Post. “She approaches all her work with an unwavering desire to get to the bottom of an issue, while handling sensitive subjects with compassion and care.”

The award is only the latest for Kirkey, who has been with the Post since 2002 and has previously been honoured by the Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Nurses Association and the National Newspaper Awards, among others.

According to the CAEP, “the recipient of this award has told an emergency medicine-related story that demonstrates fairness and balance through accurate, well-researched reporting; timeliness and relevance; and strong insight, offering clear perspectives on complex issues with creativity and human context. The work also reflects meaningful impact on public understanding, along with high-quality writing and production that is clear, compelling, concise, and accessible.”

Last year’s winner was Elizabeth Payne of the Ottawa Citizen; the previous year’s recipient was Aaron Derfel of the Montreal Gazette.

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