Karyn Pugliese facts for kids

Karyn Pugliese, also known by her Algonquin name Pabàmàdiz, is a famous Canadian journalist. She is known for her investigative work and for standing up for the rights of journalists. She has even been involved in cases that went to Canada's Supreme Court.

Karyn is a member of the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn, an Indigenous community in Ontario. She was the first Indigenous person ever to be elected president of the Canadian Association of Journalists.

Because of her amazing work, she was chosen for a special program at Harvard University called the Nieman Fellowship, and she graduated in 2020. People know her best for her work at the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) and as the host of a TV show called #FAQMP.

Personal and Early Life

Karyn Pugliese is a single mother. Her son, Zackery Liberty, is a talented guitarist in an indie rock band.

She was born and grew up in Ottawa, Ontario. As a child, she often visited her family's community in Pikwàkanagàn. After finishing school, she worked for a short time at CBC Radio and CTV in Ottawa.

For a while, she took a break from journalism. She went back to school at Carleton University to get a master's degree in history. Her final paper was about the history of the Indigenous community in the Ottawa area where she grew up.

Education

Karyn graduated from the Ottawa Alternative High School. In 1998, she earned a degree in Journalism and History from Carleton University. She later returned to Carleton for her master's degree in history, which she completed in 2006.

In 2020, she finished the prestigious Nieman Fellowship program at Harvard University. This program invites top journalists from around the world to study at Harvard for a year.

Awards and Recognition

Karyn Pugliese has won many awards for her excellent work in journalism and for her efforts to protect press freedom.

• The Canadian Association of Journalists has honored her twice with the Charles Bury Award. She received one for her leadership in supporting journalists and another for helping change how the media tells Indigenous stories.
• In 2018, she received the Gordon Sinclair Award for her outstanding achievements in journalism.
• She has also won awards from the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA) for her dedication to a free press.
• In 2021, she won a National Newspaper Award for a series of articles she wrote.

Fighting for a Free Press

Karyn is a strong advocate for press freedom, which is the right for journalists to report the news without fear or censorship. She was the president of the Canadian Association of Journalists from 2018 to 2020 and is still on its board.

She also works with an organization called Journalists for Human Rights (JHR). Through JHR, she helps train young Indigenous journalists in Canada and has even trained journalists in other countries like South Sudan. She is also a board member for Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE).

Career in Journalism

Karyn Pugliese has had a long and successful career at several major news organizations in Canada.

Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN)

In 2000, Karyn became the first person to report from Canada's Parliament for APTN. APTN is a TV network that shares stories and news from Indigenous perspectives. She traveled to many Indigenous communities across Canada to report their stories. During her first six years at APTN, she won three awards for her work.

She left APTN in 2006 but returned in 2012 to lead the entire news department. Under her leadership, APTN added new shows, including a political show called Nation to Nation.

In 2017, she won an award for her work fighting for press freedom at APTN. In her speech, she talked about the importance of having the "first aboriginal broadcaster in the world."

ichannel and #FAQMP

In 2010, Karyn returned to journalism to host a show called @issue. A year later, she created and hosted a new show called #FAQMP. The title stood for "Frequently Asked Questions for your Member of Parliament."

The show was a cool experiment in democracy. Viewers could go online and vote for which politician they wanted to see on the show. Then, they could send in their own questions for the interview. Many famous Canadian politicians appeared on the show, including Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May.

Other Important Roles

• Assembly of First Nations: From 2007 to 2010, she worked as the Communications Director for the Assembly of First Nations, an organization that represents Indigenous peoples in Canada.
• CBC: In 2021, she became the managing editor for investigative journalism at the CBC. She was in charge of two famous shows, The Fifth Estate and Marketplace.
• National Observer: She also worked as the executive editor for Canada's National Observer, an online news site that focuses on important issues like climate change.