Morin to be recognized during 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet July 27
The Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) has selected Brandi Morin (Cree / Iroquois / French) as the 2024 Tim Giago Free Press Award recipient, which recognizes an individual IJA member that has shown dedication and commitment to upholding freedom of the press, information and transparency within their Indigenous community.
Morin was selected by the committee for her reporting on police actions and coverage of the removal of a homeless encampment for Ricochet Media on Jan. 10 in Edmonton, Canada. Despite being a credentialed journalist, Morin was arrested for doing her job and documenting the experience of Indigenous people living in the encampment. Although all charges were eventually withdrawn, the struggle of upholding press freedom came at an extraordinarily high personal cost to Morin and her family.
Morin is an award-winning journalist from Treaty 6 territory in Alberta, Canada covering Indigenous stories and sparking change and reconciliation in Canada’s political, cultural and social landscapes.
Her most notable work has appeared across various outlets including National Geographic, The BBC, Al Jazeera English, the Guardian, VICE, Rolling Stone Magazine, the Toronto Star, the New York Times, Canadaland, Huffpost, Indian Country Today Media Network, the APTN National News, and CBC Indigenous.
Brandi’s work has garnered multiple prestigious awards, some of which include an Edward R. Murrow; Sidney Hillman Award, 2023 Pen Canada Ken Filkow Prize, 2024 Freedom to Read Award and Amnesty Canada International Media Award.
Brandi’s debut memoir Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising, became a national bestseller within days of its August 2022 release.
The IJA Special Awards Committee is composed of current and former IJA/NAJA board members and past NAJA Special Award winners. As one of the founders of the former Native American Press Association in 1983, Giago shaped IJA/NAJA’s mission, which has always focused on uniting and empowering Indigenous media and championing accurate journalism. Giago passed in 2022 and the IJA/NAJA Board created the award to honor his legacy of fighting for press freedom in Indigenous communities.
Morin will be recognized during the 2024 Indigenous Media Awards Banquet July 27 as part of the 2024 Indigenous Media Conference July 25-27 at the Omni Hotel in Oklahoma City.
