Toronto, ON - Famed political journalist Robert MacNeil, longtime foreign correspondent Patrick Brown and Global National anchor Dawna Friesen are among the renowned journalists taking part in the 14th annual Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) Annual Awards Gala on June 7, 2011 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto.

The CJF’s Annual Awards Gala is the industry’s must-attend event, where Canada’s top newsmakers meet Canada’s top news people. Over 400 of the country’s business and media luminaries will join together to celebrate excellence in journalism and honour those who’ve made significant contributions to journalism throughout their careers.

The foundation announced earlier this year that Patrick Brown is the recipient of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award. Reporting for CBC and its French-language network SRC in both of Canada’s official languages for over 30 years, Brown has covered major events in dozens of countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

“I have always been in awe of Patrick for his brilliance and professionalism as a journalist,” says Tony Burman, former editor-in-chief and executive director of CBC News, now managing director of Al Jazeera English. “As a colleague, I learned so much from him in the field. And I know that many Canadians learned about the world from him through his work.”

The CJF is also pleased to award this year’s Honorary Tribute to Robert MacNeil, award-winning television news anchor, author and journalist. Born in Montreal and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, MacNeil started his journalism career in the 50s in London, UK and joined PBS in 1971. There he teamed with Jim Lehrer to co-anchor the network’s Emmy-winning coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings and launch the MacNeil/Lehrer Report. Now living in New York City, MacNeil will return to his native Canada to be honoured by his peers at the gala.

Our host this year will be Global National executive editor and anchor, Dawna Friesen. For 11 years, Friesen served as a foreign correspondent and anchor for NBC, covering many international news stories including the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. When she joined Global in 2010, she became Canada’s first female, full-time, solo, weeknight, English-language, national news anchor.

Other awards that will be presented at the event include the Excellence in Journalism Award – which will be awarded to winners in two categories: large media and small media – the Greg Clark Award, the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award, the Canadian Journalism Fellowships, the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and the Martin Wise Goodman Nieman Fellowship.

For more information, visit http://cjfgala.ca or follow #cjfgala.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation thanks the following organizations for their support of the awards gala: Labatt; Waste Management Canada; Barrick; BMO Financial Group; Sunlife; Thomson Reuters; Medtronic of Canada. Thank you also to the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Le Devoir, CNW Group and CBC News for their in-kind donations.