Beyond Borders Media Awards 2007
Profile of Judges

Dr. Mary Lynn Young

Dr. Young is the acting director and an associate professor at the University of British Columbia graduate School of Journalism

Previous to her academic career, Dr. Young was a reporter and editor for close to a decade at a number of major metropolitan daily newspapers in Canada and the United States including The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, The Hamilton Spectator, and The Houston Post. She was also the national business columnist for The Globe and Mail.

Her research interests include sociology of the newsroom, media representations of crime and the economy, gender issues, and media credibility. In January 2007, she launched the Feminist Media Project, an online site providing a feminist intervention in media depictions of missing and murdered women, and the related trial of Robert Pickton.

Mr. Jocelyn Laberge

After studying at Collège de Jonquière and Université de Montréal, Mr. Jocelyn Laberge started his career at the radio/television station in Jonquière(Qc). He then held various positions at Société Radio-Canada (CBC) as an investigative journalist, political reporter (municipal, provincial, national), anchorperson, national and international assignment editor and adult educator for the Centre de Formation nationale de Radio-Canada. He acquired his teaching experience at Collège Grasset and Ryerson University, Toronto.

Mr. Laberge is presently a member of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec, and is a lecturer at université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM). He is also a correspondent for the Radio suisse romande.

Ms Leah Janzen

Ms Janzen worked as a journalist for over a decade, most recently at Manitoba’s largest daily newspaper, The Winnipeg Free Press. During her tenure at the paper, Ms Janzen covered the courts, police, legislature and post-secondary education. Her work has been recognized with a National Newspaper Award nomination, the C.B. Fairbain Award of Excellence and the Eric Wells Excellence in Journalism Award.

Previous to her career as a journalist, Ms Janzen was an instructor at Marymound, an agency serving young people overcoming challenges such as histories of abuse, family breakdown and developmental and learning disabilities.

Ms Janzen is presently the senior communications manager at the University of Manitoba.