National recognition for TED journalist

The Eastern Door’s lead reporter Eve Cable won silver in the Community Written Feature category at the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) Awards, which recognize the best in Canadian journalism.

Her piece, “Aged out and left behind,” was published May 30, 2025, and was produced as part of a collaborative journalism project called Spotlight: Child Welfare.

“I’m really proud that this piece won silver at the CAJs,” said Cable. “It means a lot to know that our reporting at The Eastern Door is taken seriously at national journalism awards.”

The gala took place on June 12 in Ottawa, capping off the two-day CAJ National Annual Conference.

“The Spotlight project is all about changing the way that the media handles child welfare reporting, and for this piece to be recognized shows that we’re actually putting those changes into practice,” said Cable.

She said she’s grateful to Lily Ieroniawákon Deer for sharing her story for the piece, and she hopes that the recognition for the project might lead more people to feel comfortable enough to share their stories with reporters in the future.

“There isn’t much reporting about what happens to people after they age out of the child welfare system, and recognition like this is going to motivate journalists to keep shedding light on these issues,” she said.

Cable also took part in a panel at the CAJ conference, “Features: Writing long and local,” exploring her process and techniques in researching and writing the piece.

“Eve’s talent, sensitivity, and commitment to social justice came together to make this piece an important statement not just on post-majority support services or the child welfare system, but on what the future of journalism could look like when it comes to platforming people who are vulnerable,” said Marcus Bankuti, managing editor of The Eastern Door.

“She’s a great journalist, and it’s so gratifying to see her receive this kind of recognition. Readers know what a strong writer she is, and she has every other quality a journalist needs. She’s in it for the right reasons, and we’re so lucky to have her here because she’s a huge part of our success.”

The Eastern Door had not one but two nominations at this year’s CAJ Awards. Bankuti was a finalist for the Geoffrey Stevens Award for Local Government Reporting.

“Our small newspaper was well represented among some of the biggest outlets in journalism at this year’s conference and awards gala,” said Bankuti. “It’s a validation of the high standard we aim for at The Eastern Door, asking ourselves every week what we could be doing better, and I’m very proud of that.”

Bankuti previously won a CAJ award in 2024.

“It’s always a proud moment at CAJ whenever we’re up for anything. It’s really awesome stuff,” said Steve Bonspiel, editor/publisher of The Eastern Door.

“Eve’s name is getting out there to the rest of Canada and the global journalism community. There are people who are watching to see who the next big journalists are coming up. For Eve, she digs in to everything and just does it with a smile and puts her head down and starts writing.

“She’s learned how to be a great journalist, and it’s because of her diligence and her hard work, listening and reading and seeing what works.

“Along with Marcus, they both deliver a special treat of comprehensive stories to readers every week, with facts, diligence and research that serves the community so well,” he said.

Bonspiel served on a panel at the CAJ, called Building Community Trust.

“The confidence that the community puts in us to tell those stories; that kind of heaviness you have from having those stories and telling those stories and writing them and thinking about them, talking to all those sources,” he said, “It’s a job we obviously take seriously.”

Cable’s article was an example of what it means to build community trust, he said.

“We’ll continue to tell those types of stories.”

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