Al Jazeera wins Amnesty International award for Colorado River reporting

Journalists Megan O’Toole and Jillian Kestler-D’Amours triumph grant for study connected Indigenous conflict for h2o authorities successful US.

Al Jazeera English online has been awarded a apical prize astatine nan 29th yearly Amnesty International Canada Media Awards for a study connected nan Indigenous struggle for h2o authorities successful nan southwestern United States.

Amnesty International Canada announced connected Thursday that Al Jazeera’s long-form interactive characteristic Crisis connected nan Colorado: The Indigenous conflict for h2o rights won nan 2023-2024 mixed media award.

The awards “honour excellence successful quality authorities reporting by Canada-based journalists and by Canadian journalists reporting abroad”.

Published successful April 2023, Crisis connected nan Colorado explored really Indigenous communities that trust connected nan sprawling Colorado River person asserted their h2o authorities successful nan look of record drought worsened by ambiance change.

The push comes arsenic authorities astatine each levels person been forced to see h2o cuts arsenic they effort to stave disconnected the illness of nan river, a 2,330km (1,450-mile) span that starts successful nan US authorities of Colorado and ends successful Mexico, and supplies h2o to much than 40 cardinal people.

To show nan story, Al Jazeera journalists Megan O’Toole and Jillian Kestler-D’Amours met pinch Indigenous leaders successful Colorado, Arizona and California, and travelled by car, vessel and mini level to key points on nan river, including Lake Powell and Lake Mead.

Their study mixed a rich, written communicative pinch photography, videos, maps, charts and different interactive elements.

Across nan region, Indigenous organization leaders demanded a spot astatine nan array – and insisted that their h2o authorities must beryllium protected aft generations of neglect and exclusion.

“We person to look astatine a different measurement of really we respect nan river, really we dainty nan river, and we’ve sewage to look retired for nan early generations,” Nora McDowell, nan erstwhile longtime chairwoman of nan Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, told Al Jazeera.

“We person to protect it.”

On Thursday, Amnesty International Canada congratulated Al Jazeera English and nan different award-winners for their activity profiling “people and communities who person shown singular courageousness and perseverance successful nan look of adversity”.

“We congratulate nan winners connected their singular achievements and convey nan authorities holders who shared their stories for bravely speaking truth to powerfulness done nan press,” said Ketty Nivyabandi, caput wide of Amnesty International Canada’s English-speaking section.

Crisis connected nan Colorado was supported by The Water Desk, an independent publicity inaugural based astatine nan University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for Environmental Journalism.

Aerial footage utilized successful nan long-form characteristic was made imaginable done LightHawk donated flights.