It was another successful year for Ricochet at the Canadian Association of Journalists annual conference and awards gala in Calgary, as the outlet took home two of the three awards for which we were nominated. This marks the seventh time in the past eight years that Ricochet has won at least one CAJ award, one of the top national journalism awards and the only one that is voted on exclusively by fellow journalists. Ricochet journalists and editors were also featured on three panels over the weekend.
Silver for an emerging Indigenous journalist
Crystal Greene took home a silver award in the category of emerging Indigenous journalist for her portfolio of reporting done through an innovative partnership between three newsrooms — Ricochet, IndigiNews and Pivot Media in Quebec.
“This award is a powerful affirmation of what’s possible when independent media organizations come together to support the next generation of journalists,” said Andrea Houston, managing editor at Ricochet.
“Crystal’s work during the fellowship was bold, deeply reported, and rooted in her community — exactly the kind of journalism our industry desperately needs more of.”
The fellowship was designed to create space for BIPOC journalists to do impactful, community-centred reporting, at a time of increasing crisis in media.
Greene’s stories — which ranged from deep coverage of the search for missing Indigenous women in landfills of Winnipeg to accountability pieces asking important questions regarding police interactions with land defenders.
This program would not be possible without financial support from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and Journalists for Human Rights.
“When you invest in public-interest journalism, you get stories that change the conversation,” Houston said.
Gold for Brandi Morin
Ricochet senior investigative journalist Brandi Morin and cinematographer Geordie Day were awarded gold in the Broadcast under five minute category for their groundbreaking mini-documentary on the Apache Stronghold, a spiritual and political movement resisting the desecration of sacred lands at Oak Flat, Arizona. The documentary offers a rare, intimate look at frontline Indigenous resistance, weaving together powerful visuals, deep reporting, and the voices of community members leading the fight to protect their homelands.
The award is particularly timely, as last week news broke that the U.S. Supreme court had rejected a challenge to that mine from the Apache people featured in the mini-doc. Despite this legal setback, the Apache Stronghold are vowing to continue the fight.
“It’s really wonderful to see that our peers in the journalism industry recognize the incredible value of this reporting,” said Ricochet senior editor Ethan Cox, “and it’s humbling to see Brandi win one award after another in recent years for her groundbreaking work on the frontlines, documenting the realities of Indigenous Peoples across North America who are fighting for sovereignty and autonomy. I’m not sure this work would have been possible at a legacy outlet, and I think this win speaks to the tremendous importance of independent media outlets in our industry’s ecosystem.”
Press freedom in the spotlight
Ricochet senior editor Ethan Cox also spoke on an interactive panel about press freedom with CAJ president Brent Jolly. The two are currently finalizing a report on next steps in addressing repeated violations of press freedom by police across Canada, and their panel served as an opportunity to get feedback on initial findings following a round of interviews with three dozen stakeholders and experts.
The report is expected to be released later this year, so stay tuned!
