by Elizabeth Grant Associate Director, Communications

HALIFAX, N.S. – University of King’s College and Nova Scotia Community College students and faculty from the 2022 Reporting in Mi’kma’ki course have won Gold for Best Multicultural Story in the Academic category of the Canadian Online Publishing Awards (COPA). The Gold Award was given for “Kwe’ Eskasoni” published on The Signal, the online platform for student work run by King’s journalism programs. The story outlines the intent of Reporting in Mi’kma’ki, “to ensure budding journalists know how to report responsibly [about the Mi’kmaq], avoid stereotypes, and centre L’nuey voices in their coverage.” Students in the course pursue these goals through a combination of workshops, in-class learning and time spent visiting a First Nations community, in this case, Eskasoni First Nation.

“Kwe’ Eskasoni” links to four distinct stories that use text, video and photography to explore the theme that guided the 2022 course—Mi’kmaw-led conservation work. Rogers Chair in Journalism Trina Roache calls the course, “an incredible learning experience for our students.”

“We emphasize the importance of building relationships, responsibility, respect, and reciprocity. I could see these fundamental principles in action as students took so much care crafting the stories and striving for excellence.”

For Roache, the award recognizes more than the reporting itself, it also celebrates the contributions of the Mi’kmaq featured in th ...