CTV News Vancouver wins prestigious journalism award

The story of a CTV News Vancouver reporter's emotional reunion with his extended Indigenous family has been honoured with one of journalism's most prestigious awards.

In an announcement from Washington D.C., the Radio Television Digital News Association named CTV News Vancouver as the winner of the 2023 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. In August of 2022, CTV News at Six anchor Mi-Jung Lee and photographer Gary Rutherford joined their colleague Ben Miljure as he travelled to the remote community of Alert Bay, B.C., to meet hundreds of members of his extended family. 

Lee’s report tells the story of how Miljure – who grew up in foster care – knew very little about his Indigenous heritage as a child and young man. It wasn’t until he started reporting on the discovery of suspected unmarked graves at the site of a former Kamloops residential school that Miljure decided to fully explore his roots. 

At the reunion, he met his 89-year-old grandmother for the first time and a special ceremony was held in the Namgis Big House to welcome Miljure into the family.

After learning about the Murrow Award honour, Miljure said:

“As journalists, we are conditioned to not allow ourselves to become the story. In this case though, it was my work as a journalist that eventually led me home. Over the years, so many Indigenous families found the strength to speak with me and share the stories that have shaped their lives — and that is why I was able to realize the similarities with my own experience. I am grateful to our entire CTV News Vancouver team for being so incredibly supportive since I’ve embarked on this journey of discovery. Although we can be very private people, my family and I never doubted the decision to invite my colleagues to document our reunion because we knew they would tell our story in a way that would resonate with people across the country.”

Mi-Jung Lee also weighed in on the news, saying:

“When Ben told me he was considering going to his family reunion, I knew I wanted to be there and share the story with our viewers. I was thrilled and honoured when he confirmed he was going and that I could report on it. I was moved personally and professionally – the long journey to this remote island, the warmth of his family as they embraced Ben and Ben’s emotional reaction to meeting relatives for the first time. I hope Ben’s story inspires other Indigenous young people to reconnect with their family and their culture.”