Dawna Friesen

Early life and education

Dawna Friesen was raised on a farm west of Winnipeg, Manitoba, where her parents were nonobservant Mennonites. Her father had her work on the farm from a very young age, and she learned how to drive a tractor when she was just six years old. Her mother was active in local politics, providing Friesen with an early example of civic engagement. The family later moved to St. Albert, Alberta, where Friesen graduated from Paul Kane High School in 1981 before returning to Manitoba for her post secondary education.

Friesen enrolled in the Creative Communications program at Red River College in Winnipeg, a course known for training journalists. To support herself during her studies, she worked as a waitress, gaining life experience outside the classroom. She successfully graduated from the program in 1984, which equipped her with the practical skills needed for a career in broadcast journalism. This education provided the direct pathway to her first professional news role in Brandon the following year, where she began reading news for a local station.

Early career in Canadian broadcasting

Dawna Friesen began her journalism career in 1985 at a hybrid television and radio station in Brandon, Manitoba, where her initial duties included reading news. This first job gave her crucial hands on experience in a local market and established the foundation for her future work. From Brandon, she pursued reporting opportunities at television stations across the country, demonstrating a commitment to building her skills in diverse environments. Her career path took her to newsrooms in Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto over the subsequent years.

Working in these multiple major markets allowed her to develop a broad understanding of regional issues and different reporting styles. This cross country experience helped refine her on air presence and journalistic judgment significantly, preparing her for national-level work. By the late 1990s, her proven talent and extensive experience made her a recruitment target for national networks in both Canada and the United States. This led to her move to NBC News, where she would take on international assignments as a foreign correspondent.

Foreign correspondent for NBC News

Friesen joined NBC News in the late 1990s, beginning a major chapter as a foreign correspondent based out of London. She covered significant international stories from Europe and the Middle East, often reporting from active conflict zones that required considerable resilience and journalistic rigour. Her assignments included extensive coverage of the Israeli Palestinian conflict, as well as the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq following the September 11 attacks. One of her notable assignments included reporting on the kidnapping and murder of The Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi, Pakistan.

Her work during this period was recognized with a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 2009 for Outstanding Live Coverage of a Breaking News Story. She earned this award for her role as a correspondent in NBC's coverage of the 2008 United States presidential election, a major political event. This international experience provided her with a deep understanding of global affairs that she would later bring to her role at Global National. Her time at NBC established her reputation as a skilled journalist capable of handling complex and fast breaking news stories.

Leadership at Global National

In 2010, Dawna Friesen returned to Canada to join Global News as the anchor of Global National, succeeding Kevin Newman. This appointment made her the third full time female news anchor to lead a nightly national newscast in Canada, following Sophie Thibault and Céline Galipeau in French Canada. More significantly, she was the first woman to hold such a role for an English language network in the country, breaking a longstanding barrier. Her position expanded beyond anchoring, as she also holds the title of executive editor and influences the editorial direction of the broadcast.

Under her leadership, Global National has positioned itself as Canada's early evening national newscast with a mission statement of 'Story is everything'. The program provides in depth analysis and perspective on top stories, aiming to connect with audiences from coast to coast and bring clarity to complex issues. In addition to her anchoring duties, Friesen hosts the network's newsmagazine series The New Reality, which explores topical issues in greater detail. She has also conducted high profile interviews, such as a year end conversation with former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, demonstrating the program's reach and journalistic credibility.

Awards and recognition

Dawna Friesen's work has been consistently recognized by industry awards throughout her career in both the United States and Canada. Her early accolade was a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 2009 for her role in NBC's presidential election coverage, marking her success on the international stage. After joining Global National, she quickly won a Gemini Award for Best News Anchor in 2011, solidifying her reputation in Canadian television shortly after her return. She has been a repeated winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best National News Anchor, the highest honour for a news anchor in Canada.

According to recent announcements, she won this award in 2019, 2023, and again in 2026 for her work on Global National News. These awards show her sustained excellence and leadership in national news broadcasting over more than a decade at the helm of a flagship program. The 2026 win confirms her ongoing prominence and skill in a competitive field, recognizing her consistent delivery of high quality journalism. Her collection of awards reflects a career of high achievement across different networks and formats.

Public advocacy and personal life

Friesen has used her public platform to advocate on certain personal and professional issues that are important to her. In 2014, she participated in a Global News 16x9 program about dementia, sharing her family's experience as both of her parents developed the condition. This appearance highlighted the challenges families face and brought greater public attention to the issue of dementia care in Canada. It was a personal reflection on a difficult subject that resonated with many viewers who have had similar experiences.

Dawna Friesen represented Global News at official inquiries, including delivering an opening statement before the Canadian Heritage committee on the state of journalism in Canada in March 2026. In her personal life, she remarried on July 28, 2018, to Rick Anderson after a divorce from Tom Kennedy. She maintains an active public presence by engaging with audiences on contemporary events. Friesen has also explained national observances, such as the significance of Memorial Day in Newfoundland and Labrador. Her work includes hosting the network's newsmagazine series The New Reality. She provides a distinctive voice on Global National, Canada's early evening national newscast.

The Global National broadcast and podcast

Global National with Dawna Friesen airs in the early evening and is also available as a podcast, extending its reach to on demand audiences who prefer digital consumption. The program is described as providing a distinctive voice and approach to the day's top stories, with a team dedicated to in depth analysis and perspective. The broadcast aims to bring clarity to complex national and international issues for viewers across the country, connecting with audiences from coast to coast with its mission of storytelling. The podcast version ensures the newscast is accessible to Canadians who prefer audio content or who wish to catch up on news at their convenience, reflecting modern media habits.

This multi platform approach allows the program to maintain relevance in a changing media scene where consumption patterns continue to evolve. The program covers a wide range of topics, from political interviews and parliamentary inquiries to major international legal proceedings, such as the trial of comedian Russell Brand. The team's work continues to be guided by its core editorial philosophy that emphasizes the primacy of storytelling in journalism, a principle Friesen champions as executive editor. The program's success is evidenced by its awards and its role as a primary news source for many Canadians seeking reliable evening news.

Questions about Dawna Friesen

What is Dawna Friesen's current role?

Dawna Friesen is the chief anchor and executive editor of Global National, the flagship evening newscast for Global News. She has held this position since 2010, when she succeeded Kevin Newman as the program's anchor. In this role, she anchors the broadcast daily and helps shape its editorial direction as an executive editor. She also hosts the network's newsmagazine program, The New Reality, adding another dimension to her responsibilities at the network.

What awards has Dawna Friesen won?

Friesen has won several major awards for her journalism over the course of her career. She received a News and Documentary Emmy Award in 2009 for her work as a correspondent with NBC News during the US presidential election. She won a Gemini Award for Best News Anchor in 2011, shortly after taking over Global National. Most recently, she has won the Canadian Screen Award for Best National News Anchor multiple times, including in 2019, 2023, and as announced in 2026 for her work on Global National News.

Where did Dawna Friesen work before Global News?

Before joining Global News, Dawna Friesen was a foreign correspondent for NBC News. She reported from London and covered major stories like the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Prior to NBC, she worked for various television stations across Canada, including in Brandon, Thunder Bay, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto. She started her journalism career in 1985 at a hybrid television and radio station in Brandon, Manitoba.

Why is Dawna Friesen considered a trailblazer?

Dawna Friesen is considered a trailblazer because she was the first full time female news anchor to lead a nightly national newscast in English Canada. She became the anchor of Global National in 2010, succeeding Kevin Newman. At that time, she was only the third woman in Canada to hold such a role, after Sophie Thibault in 2002 and Céline Galipeau in 2009. This achievement broke a barrier in English Canadian broadcast journalism.

What is Dawna Friesen's educational background?

Dawna Friesen graduated from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1984. Before that, she attended Paul Kane High School in St. Albert, Alberta, graduating in 1981. Her family had moved to St. Albert from Manitoba, where she was raised on a farm west of Winnipeg. She worked as a waitress when she was young before beginning her journalism career after college.

Has Dawna Friesen been involved in any public advocacy?

Yes, Dawna Friesen has been involved in public advocacy. She was featured in a 2014 television program about dementia where she shared her personal family experience with the disease and discussed how families cope with it. Professionally, she has also engaged in advocacy for journalism, representing Global News at a Canadian Heritage committee inquiry on the state of journalism in Canada in March 2026. At this official proceeding, she delivered an opening statement to the committee. This advocacy work complements her primary role as a journalist and anchor, where she provides in-depth analysis on national and international events for a coast-to-coast audience.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-07.