The 14th annual CJFE Gala returned to the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto on Thursday, November 24, 2011.
This year's gala was a tribute to the Arab Spring, the people who raised their voices in protest against repression and those who covered their stories. On November 24, we honoured the journalists who, in extreme circumstances, ensured that the world heard about this incredible situation as it unfolded in countries across the region. We also recognized the importance of free expression in our own country by honouring those who have made critical contributions to the public interest here in Canada. Thank you to all of you who joined us at the 2011 CJFE Gala: A Night to Honour Courageous Reporting, and showed your support for free expression and the work of CJFE.
At the 2011 Gala, we honoured this year’s International Press Freedom Award recipients.
Mohamed Abdelfattah, a 24 year-old Egyptian, was among the first to expose the police brutality that caused the uprising in Egypt. Canadians got their earliest glimpses into the massive movement in Cairo when Mohamed broadcasted from Tahrir Square on CBC's news network. He was detained along with hundreds of other young people, in an effort to shut the protest down. Mohamed persevered and we will present him with one of our press freedom awards.
Unfortunately, Mohamed was unable to attend the Gala, and accepted his speech via video, from Egypt.
Khaled al-Hammadi, a remarkable journalist from Yemen, where people are still in the streets demanding the overthrow of their ruling dictator, was also awarded. Khaled has been arrested, kidnapped and harassed for doing his job and continues working in the streets of Sana along with free speech crusader and Nobel Prize winner Tawakul Karman. He continues, at great personal risk, to report the events from his country and remains a frequent commentator in Canadian media.
Our Gala also recognized Ron Haggart, a remarkable Canadian who passed away this past year. Ron was a crusader for accountability in our own country and one of Canada’s most important investigative journalists. Over the course of his career, he worked with numerous media outlets across Canada, including The Vancouver Sun, The Toronto Star, The Toronto Telegram, The Globe and Mail, CityTV, and the CBC. As we witness a tendency toward backroom politicking and secrecy, Ron's tireless calls for openness and his lobbying for free speech will be sorely missed.
New this year, CJFE presented the Integrity Award to recognize and build awareness of the need to protect the rights of “whistleblowers,” those people who, without thought of personal gain and at personal and professional risk, expose corruption, or illegal or unethical practices in the public or private sectors. This year we were proud to honour scientists Dr. Shiv Chopra, Dr. Margaret Haydon and Dr. Gérard Lambert with this new award. The values of the award are reflected in the commitment shown by these Canadian scientists when they informed the Canadian public about specific health dangers inherent in food production in the face of great pressure to remain silent.
Anna Maria Tremonti has been the host of The Current, on CBC Radio One since its creation in the autumn of 2002. Prior to that, she spent almost two decades as a television correspondent, mostly for The National and the investigative program the fifth estate.
Anna Maria was a foreign correspondent based in Berlin, London, Jerusalem and then Washington in the 1990s. She covered politics on Parliament Hill for almost five years, and has been a radio and television reporter in Alberta and the Maritimes.
Anna Maria is pleased to be working with the CJFE in its recognition of journalistic excellence and in calling attention to those journalists whose reporting of the truth puts them at great personal risk. She has been moderating the CJFE's Free to Speak fundraising series, and has worked with the board on strategic planning to bring more Canadian journalists into the organization.
Carol Off is the Chair of the CJFE Gala Committee, and co-host of CBC Radio's As It Happens.
Arnold Amber
Jet Belgraver
Leslie de Freitas
Diane Eros
Annie Game
Susanne Gossage
Jaclyn Law
Tim Lewis
Willa Marcus
Gillian McArdle
Anita Mielewczyk
Jennifer Murray, Event Coordinator
Julie Payne
Susan Reisler
Mary Deanne Shears
Michelle Shephard
Sarah Spinks
Cara Smusiak
Anne Wright-Howard, AV Producer
Lori Abbitan, President & CEO, Multimedia Nova Corporation
Denise Donlon, C.M.
Wendy Freeman, President, CTV News
Patrick Gossage, Chairman, Media Profile
Frank Switzer, Vice-President Corporate Communications, Sun Life Financial
Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President, Rogers OMNI Television
CJFE would like to thank our kind sponsors for their continous support and allowing us to raise awareness to this important global issue. For a full list of CJFE Gala Sponsors, please see the Sponsorship page.
2011 International Press Freedom Award
Mohamed Abdelfattah
Egypt
“The government is trying to spread fear among the population…but I don’t think this will work, because the high dam of fear has already collapsed yesterday, and the water is just flooding...
Khaled al-Hammadi
2011 International Press Freedom Award
Yemen
When a story breaks in Yemen, you’ll usually find Khaled al-Hammadi somewhere in the middle of it. The journalist even camped out alongside demonstrators in Change Square, the impromptu village...
Vox Libera Award
Ron Haggart
May 11, 1927 – August 27, 2011
When rioting Kingston Penitentiary prisoners wanted their grievances heard in 1971, they called on Toronto Telegram columnist Ron Haggart to tell their story. He had a reputation for seeking – and...
2011 Integrity Award
Dr. Shiv Chopra
Dr. Margaret Haydon
Dr. Gérard Lambert
Dr. Shiv Chopra is tireless. Speaking from his home in Ottawa, Chopra describes how he and his Health Canada colleagues were consistently harassed, reprimanded and eventually dismissed for...