Journal staff member Anne Fu, HealthSci ’25, was recognized for spotlighting Indigenous healthcare in a nation-wide award.
A current member of the BIPOC Advisory Board at The Journal, Fu feels honoured to be recognized for the 2022-23 Amnesty International Canada Media Award in the Post-Secondary Youth category. Fu’s accomplishment will be celebrated at the 28th Annual Amnesty International Media Awards ceremony on Oct. 19 in Toronto.
“I’m really honoured to have my work recognized on such a high level and especially by professionals,” Fu said in an interview with The Journal.
The award recognizes news media stories highlighting human rights issues published by or associated with post-secondary institutions. In her article, Fu wrote about Indigenous healthcare in Kingston, bringing to light traditional medicine practices and exploring the intersection of health and identity.
Fu has been involved with The Journal since her first year at Queen’s, working as an Assistant News Editor, Features Editor, and now as a BIPOC Advisory Board member.
Fu felt there was a gap in Indigenous healthcare coverage and expressed gratitude for the interview sources who spoke with her, sharing their many perspectives. For Fu, her interviews with individuals from Indigenous and medical communities were especially illuminating.
“I’m very grateful that these people were willing to share their stories.” she said.
“I brainstormed a couple ideas based on my interests and what I thought could be any gap in coverage. I was trying to think about the kinds of articles I wanted to read” Fu said. “I tried to centre Indigenous voices making sure I wasn’t reporting on Indigenous people, but with Indigenous people.”
Fu’s goal was to expand narratives, which she did through asking her interviewees what issues they’d like to see brought to the attention of the public. Fu was grateful when her editors submitted her story but didn’t expect to win.
“It came as a surprise to me especially because [Journal Editors] Asbah and Cassidy were the ones who nominated me, and I didn’t really know which articles they nominated,” Fu said.
With aspirations of becoming a doctor herself, Fu felt writing the story helped solidify her understanding of Indigenous healthcare rather than learning about the topic through courses.
She commented that her work in journalism helps her keep in touch with the people side of medicine.
“I think obviously, as a health sciences student, I’ve taken courses on, for example, racism in healthcare. Courses are obviously a great way to expand your knowledge of this issue, but you gain a lot more information speaking to the people really affected by it” Fu said.
Tags
Amnesty International, Award, Journalism
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