Carleton unveils journalism award named after Palestinian 'trailblazer'

Carleton University is launching a new award in honour of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, hoping to inspire young journalists to carry on her legacy of vital social justice reporting. 

Abu Akleh, a veteran journalist with Al Jazeera, was shot and killed while covering an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin on May 11, 2022. She was 51.

• Al Jazeera reporter killed during Israeli raid in West Bank
• Israel confirms U.S. has launched probe into journalist Shireen Abu Akleh's killing

Allan Thompson, director of Carleton's School of Journalism and Communication, described Abu Akleh as a "trailblazer" who always strived for fairness and accuracy in her reporting on one of the world's most troubled regions — a place she herself called home.

"She was covering the story of her own life and her own society, and yet by most accounts did this with utmost professionalism," Thompson said.

"In the Arab world she essentially is kind of Anderson Cooper and Christiane Amanpour combined. She was a huge star, and yet no story was beneath her. She would cover everything."

A role model for aspiring journalists

Abu Akleh was also an important role model for Arabs, particularly women and girls, who aspired to report on the world around them.

"There's a story that's told over and over of young women standing in front of the mirror holding a hairbrush, mimicking her signoff for Al Jazeera," Thompson said.

The Shireen Abu Akleh Emerging Reporter Award in Social Justice Journalism will provide at least $5,000 annually to a successful applicant from the school's senior undergraduate or graduate programs. Recipients will use the money to finance an original piece of journalism focusing on some aspect of social justice.

An endowment fund is already more than halfway to its goal of $125,000, Thompson said, thanks in part to initial donations from Waterloo, Ont., businessman Shawky Fahel, and Ottawa residents Maher Arar and his wife, writer and activist Monia Mazigh.

Tribute held Friday

The journalism award had its official launch Friday evening with a tribute event at Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre in downtown Ottawa, where oud player Abdul-Wahab Kayyali and cellist Sheila Hannigan performed a new piece of music composed in Abu Akleh's honour.

Tony Abu Akleh, the slain journalist's brother, was in Ottawa to attend the event. He said while the family continues to grieve his sister's death, the journalism award is an important tribute to her life's work.

"It's very important for us," Abu Akleh told CBC's Ottawa Morning. "Giving out a scholarship in Shireen's name is very important to maintain her legacy and to educate future generations."

By empowering young journalists to shine a light on injustice and oppression, Abu Akleh, who maintains his sister was "clearly targeted" by an Israeli sniper, said he hopes the award will also help make the world safer for them.

"There is nothing we can do that will bring Shireen back, but at least it will prevent this from happening again to any other journalist anywhere in the world."

In that same spirit, Thompson said adjudicators will consider a broad definition of "social justice" when assessing applications for the award.

"There's no limit on what that could be," Thompson said, including pitches involving issues right here at home.

"It'll be really interesting to see the applications that we get in the first round of this award, and how the students define social justice journalism when they sit down to put together a proposal."

Donations to the award are tax-deductible.