A leap of faith led Eden Fineday into the field of journalism
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The media landscape has gone through many harsh changes over the last few years and it’s been tough for those new to the industry.
Eden Fineday said if she could give herself advice before entering the field of journalism it would be straightforward and simple.
“Don’t do it,” she said.
Yet today Fineday is the publisher of IndigiNews, an online Indigenous news and storytelling platform.
Prior to stepping into the publisher role, she was known in the arts community as a visual artist, songwriter, performer and author.
In 2021, Fineday’s career path took a drastic turn after seeing a Facebook ad for the publisher position for the fledgling news organization.
Although she didn’t know much about journalism and wasn’t an aspiring journalist, she applied.
Fineday knew she could work for IndigiNews because according to its website it was “a culturally-respectful, Indigenous-led online journalism publication where Indigenous people report on — and primarily for — Indigenous Peoples.”
It was a concept that appealed to her.
“For me, it’s more about Indigenous identity and that worldview,” said Fineday. “I was like, I’m sure I could make a difference”.
Originally from Treaty 6 Territory, she lived briefly on the Sweetgrass First Nation.
However, when she was about two-years-old, Fineday and her Ukrainian mother moved away.
When she turned 14, she began reconnecting with her culture and with her father, who is a Residential School Survivor.
“It’s been a lifelong journey of reconnecting with Sweetgrass and trying to figure out who I am,” said Fineday.
Figuring things out as she goes is something that’s helped her in her new role as a newsroom leader.
Fineday said joining Indiginews was like an intense crash course.
“If I had known how hard the first two years would be, I don’t think I would’ve taken this (job),” she said.
At first, Fineday suffered from “imposter syndrome”.
It’s feeling like unworthy for the position you’re in, she said.
Fineday explained it’s a common career obstacle, especially for journalists from minority groups.
In those first couple years she recalled feeling like the dumbest person in the room.
As an established artist, it was an unsettling feeling.
Fineday had to be humble to grasp the dynamics of the industry.
Today, she feels like she knows what she’s doing because things “feel right.”
Fineday said reconnecting with her culture was key to overcoming her lack of confidence.
She’s been listening not only to her father, but other Elders, and absorbing everything.
Fineday has learned Cree cosmology, which she said is beautiful and vast, like a gorgeous spiral of teachings that build on one another.
“I feel like through learning about who I am as a Cree person is how I found my self-worth, and that’s how I feel like I belong in a room like this,” she said about being a publisher.
Another boost was realizing more experienced journalists also felt insecure because what they knew no longer applied.
The journalism that goes back a century or more “no longer exists,” she said.
“The whole industry has cratered,” said Fineday. “It’s like a failed business model.”
She discovered nobody really knew what the future held, and everyone was scared.
The unknown built her confidence because she felt she had something unique to offer.
It’s a beautiful time to walk through the doors of journalism because we are in a brand-new era, said Fineday.
