One of Canada’s top journalism schools is inaugurating an award in honour of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, whose killing by Israeli forces last year sent shockwaves around the world and spurred calls for justice and media freedom.
The Shireen Abu Akleh Emerging Reporter Award in Social Justice Journalism at Carleton University will be unveiled at an event in the Canadian capital, Ottawa, on Friday evening.
“Such scholarships will maintain her legacy, will maintain her name,” Abu Akleh’s brother, Tony Abu Akleh, said in a statement shared by the university.
“Awards like these, which honor Shireen and her contributions to journalism and her commitment to giving voice to those who live under brutal military occupation, are a way to keep her memory alive and let young journalists continue her legacy,” he added.
“And that legacy was speaking truth to power and shining a light on both the pain of injustice and the perseverance of those who live under it.”
Abu Akleh, a renowned and celebrated journalist who worked with Al Jazeera for more than two decades, was killed in May 2022 while reporting on an Israeli military raid in Jenin, a city in the north of the occupied West Bank.
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Canadian journalism school unveiling award in honour of Shireen Abu Akleh