{"id":51190,"date":"2024-12-16T09:58:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T14:58:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/?post_type=cu_story&p=51190"},"modified":"2024-12-16T09:58:27","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T14:58:27","slug":"luke-lebrun-amber-award-winner-convoywatch-creator-and-carleton-alum","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/story\/luke-lebrun-amber-award-winner-convoywatch-creator-and-carleton-alum\/","title":{"rendered":"Luke LeBrun: Amber Award Winner, ConvoyWatch Creator, and Carleton Alum"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Luke LeBrun: Amber Award Winner, ConvoyWatch Creator, and Carleton Alum\n <\/h1>\n \n \n\n

Luke LeBrun\u2019s journey, from Carleton classrooms to award-winning journalism, underscores the transformative power of critical inquiry and fearless storytelling in confronting wicked contemporary challenges.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

By Emily Putnam<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Image courtesy of Luke LeBrun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For PressProgress<\/em> Editor Luke LeBrun, confronting controversy is business as usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Carleton English alum, PressProgress<\/em><\/a> Editor, ConvoyWatch <\/em>creator, and an award-winning writer, LeBrun says winning the Arnold Amber Award<\/a> was a reassuring moment for the investigative journalism community in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cGiven all the wealthy and powerful interests out there who want to shut down critical journalism in Canada, awards like these send a strong message that the journalism community stands behind and encourages investigative journalists who take risks by challenging power,\u201d explains LeBrun.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Arnold Amber Award, named for the late CWA Director Arnold Amber<\/a>\u2014a trailblazing CBC executive producer, union leader, and advocate for journalistic freedom\u2014celebrates journalists like LeBrun who hold power to account. LeBrun accepted the award on October 23 at the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression\u2019s<\/a> annual gala in Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defending Democracy & Exposing Extremism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Since joining PressProgress<\/em> in 2013, LeBrun has focused on exposing and critically analyzing right-wing politics and far-right extremism. His investigative work has covered a diverse range of topics, including far-right book festivals<\/a>, alleged Russian propaganda operations<\/a>, and a right-wing media website linked to a Shopify executive<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He draws attention to the broader implications of his work, stating, \u201cFor decades, we\u2019ve been seeing the rise of a global right-wing movement that fundamentally wants to disrupt and dismantle the social, economic and democratic institutions built-up during the 20th century that were supposed to create a more peaceful, equal and democratic society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests, LeBrun\u2019s reporting provided critical insights into the convoy\u2019s impact on Ottawa\u2019s neighborhoods and rural communities. His work filled a gap in media coverage, shedding light on the many deep seated societal rifts that were exposed by the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, our society broke in profound ways, and we saw small but vocal groups with extreme, hateful and conspiratorial views begin to organize and network with one another,\u201d says LeBrun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This pivotal moment and experience inspired him to launch ConvoyWatch<\/a><\/em>, a pop-up newsletter that provides in-depth reporting on far-right convoy activities across Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PressProgess homepage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne day everyone in Ottawa woke up and found hundreds of vehicles parked in our streets because Ottawa Police abandoned our residential neighbourhoods to conspiratorial people with signs about vaccines and QAnon,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many Canadians, the experience had a tremendous impact on him, underscoring both the fragility of societal norms and the indispensable role of investigative journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThat was a moment that not only showed me the very real threat these groups pose, but also the way investigative journalism can put real pressure on those in power and give power back to our communities\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Transformative Power of Critical Inquiry<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

LeBrun credits his time in Carleton\u2019s English Department<\/a> for sharpening the critical thinking skills that underpin his investigative work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe benefit of an English degree goes beyond the ability to recall the name of Odysseus\u2019 dog (Argos) or impress house guests by speaking in iambic pentameter at dinner parties,\u201d quips LeBrun.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThe real value of an English degree is that it teaches you how to think critically about language and synthesize new information.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

LeBrun emphasizes that effective communication begins with critical thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it is possible to be a good writer, or any kind of effective communicator, unless you are able to critically process the information you are consuming and critically reflect on the information you send back out to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While pursuing his Master\u2019s degree, LeBrun collaborated with Professor Brian Greenspan\u2019s HyperLab<\/a>, exploring the intersection of humanities and digital technology. This experience, he says, prepared him for the evolving challenges of modern journalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhether you work professionally as a writer, whether you\u2019re in technology or business, whether you\u2019re doing a blue-collar skilled-trade, being able to assess and question information will open up opportunities that would be unavailable otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also notes he worked closely with Dr. Chris Eaket<\/a> in the Hyperlab as a Teaching Assistant.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cConsidering the strange new world journalism has entered into in the digital age, that experience has been influential in helping me navigate a media environment where we are sharing information and telling stories in different formats or figuring out how to continually incorporate new technologies and new communications platforms into our repertoires as reporters.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

LeBrun draws a direct parallel between his academic training and his investigative work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEnglish, as well as History, often involves a lot of digging through archives and old texts to piece things together from primary and secondary sources,\u201d he notes. \u201cSometimes I think back to sifting through historical documents at Library and Archives Canada or scanning microfiche reels in the basement of the MacOdrum Library while I\u2019m investigating stories using Freedom of Information requests, corporate records or old newspaper archives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For LeBrun, meaningful storytelling is key to impactful writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWriting is a form of communication, make sure you have something important and meaningful to communicate to other people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emily Putnam For PressProgress Editor Luke LeBrun, confronting controversy is business as usual. A Carleton English alum, PressProgress Editor, ConvoyWatch creator, and an award-winning writer, LeBrun says winning the Arnold Amber Award was a reassuring moment for the investigative journalism community in Canada. \u201cGiven all the wealthy and powerful interests out there who want to shut down critical journalism in Canada, awards […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":51191,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[816],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-51190","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-general"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/51190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/51190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51192,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/51190\/revisions\/51192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=51190"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/fass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=51190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}