April 15, 2009

Guild's champion of media rights nominated for press freedom award

William Marsden, the Montreal Newspaper Guild's stalwart defender of freedom of expression, has been nominated for a Press Freedom Award.

The Gazette's senior investigative journalist gets the nod for his stories on a land deal involving Parti Québécois leader Pauline Marois and her husband, Claude Blanchet. Marois has filed a lawsuit against the newspaper, which threatens to stifle investigation into matters of public interest.

There are four other nominees for the award by the Canadian Committee for World Press Freedom, which will be presented in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre on May 5.

The Press Freedom Award includes a cash prize of $2,000 and a certificate of honour from the CCWPF and the Canadian Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.