APTN honoured at inaugural International Indigenous Journalism Awards
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network was honoured Thursday night at a ceremony for the inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Awards in Kautokeino, Sápmi, Norway. While APTN did not win, two stories from the network were awarded with Honours and Special Recognition for in-depth reporting..
The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network was honoured Thursday night at a ceremony for the inaugural World Indigenous Television Broadcasters Awards in Kautokeino, Sápmi, Norway. While APTN did not win, two stories from the network were awarded with Honours and Special Recognition for in-depth reporting.
Rob Smith received the Honours recognition for his story called “Journey Home,” in which he describes the Nisga people’s return to their home territory in British Columbia, some for the first time. He tells the story of Nisga community members who were sent to residential schools away from their families to learn English at a young age; a story that explores the broader theme of indigenous communities who have faced difficulties due to displacement. You can see his clip below:
Jorge Barrera, Ken Jackson, Paul Barnsley and Mark Blackburn received the Special Recognition distinction for their story, “Water Exploitation,” in which they broke the Bruce Carson affair. The story describes how Carson used his position in the PMO to try to secure water filtration contracts in First Nations communities – contracts which stood to benefit an Ottawa escort, with whom he was having an affair. Jackson was nominated for the 2011 J-Source Newsperson of the Year Award for his work on this story as well.
The winner of the WITBN Award in in-depth reporting was Australia’s National Indigenous Television’s Kimberly Gas Hub Series.
