In a remarkable testament to the enduring power of investigative journalism, The Toronto Star has secured the prestigious “Best Scoop” award at this year’s Best in Business Awards, highlighting the newspaper’s unwavering commitment to accountability reporting in an era when in-depth journalism faces mounting challenges.
The recognition came for the Star’s groundbreaking investigation into foreign interference in Canadian politics, a multi-part series that sent ripples through Ottawa and prompted significant national security policy discussions. The judges specifically praised the team’s “relentless pursuit of documents and sources that others couldn’t access,” calling the coverage “journalism that changes the national conversation.”
“We approached this investigation knowing the stakes were incredibly high,” said senior investigative reporter Marcus Chen, who led the award-winning team. “When documents started confirming what our sources had been telling us for months, we knew this was a story Canadians needed to see, regardless of the political pressure.”
The Star didn’t stop at a single award, also receiving recognition in four additional categories including data journalism, long-form feature writing, and multimedia storytelling. This multi-category recognition underscores the publication’s strategic investment in diverse journalistic approaches despite industry-wide financial pressures.
Media analyst Dr. Samira Ibrahim from Ryerson University notes this achievement comes at a critical juncture for Canadian journalism. “What we’re seeing with the Star’s investigations is a powerful counter-narrative to the notion that traditional media can’t produce impactful work in the digital age,” Ibrahim told CO24 News. “These awards demonstrate that rigorous reporting still resonates when it exposes genuine abuses of power.”
The Star’s publisher highlighted that the newspaper has expanded its investigative unit by three positions over the past year, bucking the industry trend of newsroom contractions. This investment appears to be paying dividends both in terms of prestige and digital subscription growth, which has reportedly increased 18% year-over-year.
The award-winning investigation required six months of development, involving complex source cultivation, document verification, and legal review before publication. The resulting series prompted a parliamentary inquiry and led to concrete policy reforms within Canada’s security apparatus.
For readers and citizens alike, the recognition raises an important question about the future of Canadian democracy: In an information landscape increasingly dominated by social media algorithms and declining local news coverage, can specialized investigative teams like the Star’s continue to provide the accountability reporting that our democratic institutions ultimately depend upon?
