Canada-based publisher Eden Fineday joins LION’s Board of Directors

IndigiNews publisher Eden Fineday, a nêhiyaw (Cree) journalist from Sweetgrass First Nation in Treaty 6 territory, has been appointed as the newest member of LION Publishers’ board of directors, following a unanimous vote last week.

Fineday is also the founder and CEO of tâpwêwin media, as well as a co-founder of the Indigenous Media Association of Canada, and joins LION’s board for her first three-year term. She’s served as a past keynote speaker at the 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit in Chicago, runs a peer learning group for BIPOC news leaders, and is a business coach in Canada. 

“I’ve been an admirer of LION Publishers for years. It’s an honour to join the board of directors and contribute to a network that has supported and inspired me in meaningful ways. I’m excited to help strengthen LION’s presence in Canada,” Fineday said. “As Indigenous media makers, we carry not only the responsibility of storytelling, but also the responsibility of care — for our communities, our cultures, and the land. I look forward to bringing that lens to the board, and supporting publishers who are reimagining journalism in ways that centre relationship, accountability, and transformation.”

“Eden joining our board is such a win. As we continue to serve our Canadian membership, rounding out our board representation to reflect the richness of our growing membership benefits everybody,” said Gunita Singh, LION’s board chair and a staff attorney at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “I can’t wait to work with and learn from Eden over the course of her term.”

LION’s programming in Canada has grown in the past four years, from leading a startup boot camp with 16 publishers in 2021 to adding 13 highly skilled coaches to offer one-on-one support to independent publishers this year. We are continuing to develop new partnerships to expand our reach in Canada and better serve the unique needs of news entrepreneurs across the country. 

“I’m thrilled to welcome Eden to our board. She has fundamentally reshaped how journalism is practiced from an Indigenous perspective — not just in Canada, but across North America and beyond,” said Anita Li, LION’s board governance chair and publisher of The Green Line. “Eden brings deep expertise as a publisher, along with a strong, values-driven approach to equity at a time when such leadership is especially needed. Her unique perspective, grounded in both lived experience and years of leadership, will be an invaluable asset to LION.”

Fineday’s election brings the number of LION board members to 12 of a possible 15. LION’s board of directors meets quarterly; board members serve for three-year terms and can serve a total of six consecutive years. The board will meet in person in September before the Independent News Sustainability Summit in St. Louis, MO. Tickets for the Summit and the LION Sustainability Awards are on sale now.