It’s been a great run for Ricochet Media, and on behalf of the board of Ricochet, I wanted to take a moment to share and salute the dynamic and innovative journalistic work done by our team. 

This exceptional journalism would not be possible if it were not for you, our loyal readers and supporters. We can all be proud of this shared achievement.

Ricochet routinely wins nominations and prizes for our work, but 2026 was a high water mark. 

Digital Publishing Awards

Ricochet was recognized with nominations in four categories: podcast, investigative work, local journalism, and editorial achievement at the Digital Publishing Awards in June at a downtown Toronto gala.

Ricochet managing editor Andrea Houston won Editorial Achievement of the Year, a new award at the Digital Publishing Awards ceremony. This award recognizes the body of work of an editor who has gone above and beyond to produce exceptional content and support the team and journalists with whom they work. It is fitting that Andrea be the first recipient of this prize. Andrea is held in high esteem by all her colleagues and is more than deserving of this recognition. 

Jon Thompson won for best local/community reporting for his body of work covering Indigenous issues in northern Ontario. Jon’s work is a lifeline for many remote northern communities, and he is more than deserving of this recognition as one of the last investigative journalists in the region. 

Most recently, Jon has been working around the clock covering the impact of raging boreal wildfires. This essential work is available via our newsletter, subscribing to our YouTube and social channels, or by visiting our front page. 

Brandi Morin was nominated for best investigative work for a series covering the impact of Canadian mining operations on the Indigenous population of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Zahra Kozema was nominated for her groundbreaking limited podcast series, There is a List, about the blacklisting of pro-Palestinian activists on campuses. This was great recognition for two exceptional projects in strong categories. 

Canadian Association of Journalists

A week later, at the Canadian Association of Journalists annual conference and awards gala in Ottawa, Ricochet won two awards. 

In the prestigious Online Media category, the CAJ’s most competitive open entry award, Stephen Maher won silver for his election series on separatist movements in Alberta and Quebec. Stephen is one of Canada’s most decorated journalists, and his award-winning series was part of an election coverage project funded through a grant from the Michener Awards Foundation, the Rideau Hall Foundation, and the Public Policy Forum. Konnor Killoran, a Ricochet newsroom fellow, was also recognized for his photographs accompanying the series.

In the Scoop category, Ricochet senior editor and co-founder Ethan Cox and long-time collaborator Jerome Turner won gold in the same category as legendary scoop master and dean of the press corps Bob Fife, who earned silver. Ethan and Jerome won for their work on the RCMP oversight report that blasted the force for violating press freedoms while detaining journalists, including Turner, on Wet’suwet’en territory in 2020. 

In his acceptance speech, Ethan drew attention to the fact the Thunder Bay police were refusing to provide official communications to Jon Thompson and other journalists, in apparent retaliation for past reporting embarrassing the force. Under intense public pressure the Thunder Bay Police Service Board intervened to ensure that policy was reversed a week later. 

Despite the crushing realities of producing journalism in Canada at this moment in history, Ricochet continues to grow and produce innovative investigative and in-depth journalism that alters policy and has an impact on the debate in civil society. 

If you’d like to support the future of fearless, public-interest journalism in Canada, please consider becoming a monthly donor, or making a one-time contribution. As a Registered Journalism Organization all donations are 100 per cent tax deductible. 

Keep on reading, and we’ll keep on digging and writing.

Anne Lagacé Dowson, a former CBC radio host and commentator, is the chair of Ricochet’s board.