Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Announces 24th Annual Gala Honouring Press Freedom

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2024 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalists for Free Expression is pleased to announce the 24th annual gala will be held on the evening of Wednesday, October 23, 2024 in Toronto.

The evening will be hosted by Anne-Marie Mediwake, current host of CTV Your Morning. An Alberta native, Mediwake has spent the past two decades providing award-winning coverage of major national and international news stories, including the Ottawa terror attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing.

The 2024 CJFE International Press Freedom Award will be presented to Rana Ayyub, an investigative journalist from India and Global Opinions writer at The Washington Post. Ayyub is being honoured for her unwavering commitment to holding governments accountable while fiercely advocating for press freedom.

Gaza photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf will also receive a CJFE International Press Freedom Award in recognition of her powerful images that capture the stark realities of war and displacement in Gaza, as well as her role in challenging traditional gender roles and creating new opportunities for women in journalism.

The Arnold Amber Award for Investigative Journalism will be presented to Luke LeBrun of PressProgress. In a time when disinformation and conspiracy theories masquerade as news, LeBrun shines a powerful light on who is behind the growing influence of far-right media, putting names and faces to those who live in the shadows.

The three award recipients will attend the CJFE Gala: A Night to Celebrate Courage in Journalism, alongside Canada's leading journalists, lawyers, scholars, corporate leaders, and many other defenders of free expression. The event will pay tribute to journalists from Canada and around the world who have made significant contributions to the defence of a free and independent media.

The gala will also raise funds for the CJFE Journalists in Distress Fund, which provides critical financial support to international journalists, photographers, and filmmakers facing threats to their lives and freedoms.

CJFE expresses its profound gratitude to its sponsors, including Google News Initiative and TD Bank. For a full list of sponsors, please visit their website here. 

About CJFE
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression defends free expression and those with the courage to seek and report the truth. CJFE has deep roots in journalism. For more than 40 years, we have championed free media and the role it plays in creating a just and equitable society. Our organization supports and upholds the rights of all global citizens to hold leaders to account, to ask hard questions, and to use their voices to speak the truth.

Our thanks to Cision for sponsoring this announcement.

SOURCE Canadian Journalists for Free Expression

For further information, please contact: Amanda Panacci, Media Profile, m: [phone], [email protected]