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The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has awarded Allan Thompson a special Humanitarian Award in recognition of his contribution to journalism through the Rwanda Initiative.

The Initiative, established by Thompson in 2006, aims to build the capacity of journalists and the news media  in Rwanda through a partnership between Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication and its counterpart at the National University of Rwanda.

 

Thompson, a professor at Carleton University’s School of Journalism, is the editor of d the The Media and the Rwanda Genocide, co-published by IDRC and released earlier this year. The book explores the role the media played in the 1994 Rwanda genocide: local media fuelled the killings, while the international media either ignored or seriously misconstrued what was happening.

 

Sen. Romeo Dallaire, the retired Canadian general and former commander of the United Nations mission in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide, presented Thompson with the Humanitarian Award at the CJF’s tenth annual awards gala on June 6, in Toronto.

 

“I hope this award will draw attention to the important work of the Rwanda Initiative and the ongoing partnership that we have established to work together to build the capacity of the media in Rwanda,’’ said Thompson.

 

The CJF is a not-for-profit organization that supports and rewards excellence in Canadian journalism.

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