Computer-Assisted Reporting was a big part of this year’s winning Michener Award entry. The CBC and the Canadian Press teamed up to analyze Taser use by police officers across Canada, building a unique database from use-of-force reports obtained from police forces across the country. Read the press release from Government House here.
The reporters analyzed the data and found that between 2002 and 2008, RCMP members fired their tasers more than 3,200 times and administered multiple shocks in more than 40 per cent of those cases. The CBC and Radio Canada also conducted tests that showed older models sometimes produce a stronger zap than the maker advertised.
Congratulations to the whole CBC/Radio Canada/Canadian Press team.