Haroon Siddiqui honoured with CJF Lifetime Achievement Award
TORONTO, March 27, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canadian Journalism Foundation's (CJF) Lifetime Achievement Award this year goes to Haroon Siddiqui in recognition of his decades-long groundbreaking career in Canadian journalism and his commitment to diversity, journalistic integrity and social justice.
"Haroon Siddiqui is a trailblazer of astonishing vision and compassionate decency. Nuanced and brilliant, he is unique in the pantheon of great Canadian journalists," says The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th governor general of Canada, and a member of the CJF's Lifetime Achievement Award Jury.
Siddiqui will be honoured at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 13 at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto. For tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact information below or visit the CJF Awards page.
Throughout his 50-year career in Manitoba and Ontario, Siddiqui has reported or supervised coverage of Canadian news, as well as reporting from 50 countries. He has covered events of global importance including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Iranian revolution and the post-9/11 War on Terrorism. His career has been shaped by a commitment to diversity and equality of opportunity in newsrooms and in society at large, to championing free speech balanced with freedom from hate and to confronting racism, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
"I am delighted that our Lifetime award jury unanimously selected Haroon for this honour," says CJF board chair Kathy English. "Decades before the long-overdue, current racial reckoning in journalism, Haroon pioneered equal dignity in media portrayals of all groups and championed the imperative for diverse, inclusive newsrooms.
"His unwavering commitment within journalism and beyond to this most basic principle of fairness remains an inspiration to a generation of Canadian journalists and their readers."
Siddiqui received the Order of Canada in 2001 and the Order of Ontario in 2000. In addition to these accolades, Siddiqui holds an honorary doctorate from York University and has received multiple awards including the National Press Club's UNESCO Award and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association award for "explaining and re-explaining diversity and equality, for denouncing racism and stupidity, for challenging Islamophobia, for doing so wittingly and irreverently, and with un-shattered confidence and hope in democracy."
Editorial Page Editor Emeritus and former columnist at the Toronto Star, Siddiqui is a Senior Fellow at Massey College. His memoir, My Name is Not Harry, is due in the fall, from Dundurn Press.
Ouimet joins a distinguished group of CJF Lifetime Achievement Award winners including: Michelle Ouillet, Kim Bolan, John Honderich, Thaioronióhte Dan David, Peter Mansbridge, Jean Pelletier, Lloyd Robertson, Michel Auger, Peter Bregg, Jack Sigvaldason, Lise Bissonnette, Joe Schlesinger, Sally Armstrong, Knowlton Nash, June Callwood and Trina McQueen, among others.
The Lifetime Achievement Award jury members are:
Chair – Kathy English, chair, The Canadian Journalism Foundation;
The Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson, co-chair of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, former governor general of Canada (1999-2005);
Hamlin Grange C.M., veteran broadcast journalist and principal consultant, DiversiPro;
Chantal Hébert, political columnist, Toronto Star, le Devoir, l'Actualité, CBC, Radio-Canada;
Marina Strauss, CJF board member and fund development co-chair and longtime former reporter and columnist at The Globe and Mail; and
Isabel Bassett, former chair and CEO of TVOntario/TFO.
About The Canadian Journalism Foundation
Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious awards and fellowships program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers' series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, businesspeople, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
Related Links
http://www.cjf-fjc.ca
SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation
Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected]; For sponsorship opportunities, contact: Josh Gurfinkel, Director of Operations, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected]
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