RTDNA Canada is proud to announce that APTN News will receive the prestigious President’s Award
Toronto, ONTARIO (June 3, 2021) – The RTDNA Canada President’s Award is presented annually to honour individuals, stations, companies, or groups. The recipient can come from within or outside the ranks of field. The President’s Award is the highest honour bestowed by the association to acknowledge individuals and organizations who have brought recognition and distinction to electronic and digital journalism in Canada.
RTDNA Canada President, Fiona Conway said, “Congratulations to APTN! The growth and impact of APTN News is remarkable. Developing and mentoring Indigenous journalists and leaders, APTN is a model for so many news organizations. RTDNA is proud to recognize and celebrate APTN.”
APTN News
APTN News launched in 2000 with the world’s first Indigenous news team on national television. Today, reporters in bureaus across the country report on stories that focus on the political and social conversations that are often ignored, underreported and sometimes misunderstood by mainstream news media. All the while, they share award-winning and unprecedented news perspectives with Indigenous Peoples and all Canadians. With six stand-alone shows, APTN News is committed to telling our stories, our way.
Cheryl McKenzie – Executive Director of News and Current Affairs/Winnipeg APTN News
Journalist Cheryl McKenzie joined APTN 19 years ago as a reporter, then went on to host the APTN National News shows, APTN InFocus and APTN Investigates. She is now executive director of news and current affairs, running the entire news division of APTN.
McKenzie looks back on the two decades with awe and pride, as the network is a multi-award-winning platform for journalists.
McKenzie looks back on the two decades with awe and pride, as the network is a multi-award-winning platform for journalists.
“We have new people coming on, straight out of journalism school,” McKenzie said. “We show them how to file a national news story. They already come with a lot of those skills already they just need some opportunity to put that into practice. So, we show them how to do this and they step up and do these news stories. Then they graduate from school, a job will happen to be open in our newsroom and they apply, then they will get the job.”
“So, they go from journalism school straight to a national correspondent job. We have provided that space for numerous journalists to bring them into Indigenous news. It’s refreshing to see those new voices coming in and bringing in those new ideas. We’re delighted to provide that space for Indigenous journalists in our newsroom.”
With nearly two decades under her belt, McKenzie is now in a position to direct the next 20 years and beyond.
“We have to grow digitally. We have to get our newscast out there to grow our audience, probably into another country” she said. “Definitely getting more of our voices out there, especially from our remote communities. We have to establish ourselves in locations that aren’t being reached.”
About RTDNA Canada
RTDNA Canada is the voice of electronic and digital journalists and news managers in Canada. The members of RTDNA Canada recognize the responsibility of broadcast and digital journalists to promote and to protect the freedom to report independently about matters of public interest and to present a wide range of expressions, opinions, and ideas. The RTDNA Canada Journalistic Code of Ethics, adopted by the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, is used to measure fairness and accuracy in our profession.
Click HERE to become a member.
Contact Information
Fiona Conway
President, RTDNA Canada
president@rtdnacanada.com
RTDNA Canada
awards@rtdnacanada.com
www.rtdnacanada.com