Journalism student Wawmeesh G. Hamilton has received a UBC award for Master’s students worth a total of $16,000.
Hamilton will receive $8,000 from the Aboriginal Graduate Fellowships Bridge Funding and another $8,000 in matching funds from the UBC Graduate School of Journalism.
The funding is awarded on the basis of academic merit, aptitude for research and leadership abilities.
The award will support for Hamilton’s research into press freedom as it applies to First Nations governance.
Hamilton is a member of the Hupascasath First Nation from Port Alberni, B.C. He will be continuing in his second year of the Master of Journalism program in September.
A former reporter and photographer at the Alberni Valley News, he is currently completing his internship at CBC Winnipeg and CBC Vancouver for the CBC Aboriginal and CBC Current Affairs programs.
“It’s an honour to be the recipient of the Aboriginal Bridge Fellowship,” said Hamilton. “I’m choosing to examine press freedom with Aboriginal communities. Specifically, I want to document the experiences of the three B.C. First Nations that have entered into treaties with the federal and provincial governments.”
“Previously, journalists couldn’t cover First Nations council meetings in the same manner as they could municipal, provincial or federal governments,” he said. “Today, treaties have foisted three B.C. First Nations out of that era, yet journalists still can’t cover their affairs like they would public bodies.”
“I hope that my findings spark public opinion, stimulate public debate, and contribute a greater understanding of this issue,” he added.
In May, Hamilton won the 2015 Canadian Journalism Foundation Aboriginal Journalism Fellowship.
