Vancouver-based online publication The Tyee has been honoured with a 2009 National Edward R. Murrow Award.

The Tyee, the first Canadian online publication to win a Murrow, won in the category of news website not affiliated with a radio or television broadcaster.

Stacey Woelfel, chairman of the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA), said:

“We were really looking for a site that was very local, with a lot of local content. One that really served the community. We were looking for a site that was its own creation, not canned. And of course one that used as many different media as possible in an effective way.”

Previous winners in the category include the news websites for The Washington Post and the Dallas Morning News.

Check the RTNDA website for a full list of 2009 Edward R. Murrow National Award winners.

The Tyee also won the Excellence in Journalism Award this year presented by the Canadian Journalism Foundation and was named a Webby honoree for its political blog, The Hook.