The Catholic Register's Ottawa Correspondent Susan Korah has been recognized with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, a national acknowledgement for decades worth of human rights activism through ink.

With her work shedding light on issues in Canada and across the globe, Korah’s work has been featured in many major publications such the Toronto Star, Montreal Gazette, Ottawa Citizen and the National Post.

But when approaching the stage to collect the award from Senator Andrew Cardozo Feb. 28, it was highlighting her work for the Register that stood out. For Korah, the shoutout wasn't just pageantry, but personal.

“I’d like to say a very big thank you to publisher Peter Stockland for bringing me on board,” she said with clear pride. “Working as an official correspondent with the Register and hearing it mentioned in the citation was significant. I’m also grateful to Senator Cardozo and his team for that.”

"Susan does a phenomenal job on Parliament Hill serving fair, accurate, balanced and timely news to Register readers," said Stockland. "We're proud to have her on the team, and proud of her being honoured."

The King Charles III Coronation Medal commemorates Charles coronation as King of Canada and is administered by the Chancellery of Honours at Rideau Hall. It honours those who have made a significant contribution to Canada or achievement abroad that has brough credit to Canada.

As Ottawa Correspondent, Korah has been the Register's eyes and ears on many stories out of Parliament, but it has also allowed her to focus on human rights violations, particularly against Christian communities, around the world.

Working with the Register is a full-circle moment for Korah, who earned her master's in journalism at Carleton University before interning under former Register editor Joe Sinasac decades ago. Even after receiving such a prestigious commemoration for her significant contributions to the country, she deflects the praise to the people who helped her reach this position.

“I am deeply honoured by this recognition, also deeply grateful to my professors at Carleton University, and to my colleagues, editors and publishers who have encouraged and supported me over the years. Also to sources around the world who have trusted me with their stories of pain inflicted by oppression, war and violence,” she said.

Still, the impact of receiving such an award is not lost on her. She described the honour as a surprise rather than a shock, and one that allows her to continue on in her work with renewed appreciation.

“ I received other awards before but this is definitely the most prestigious and the most recognized, not only in this country, but international readers also recognize its value and I am very happy about that,” Korah said.

Her official diploma highlights her specialization in international relations, human rights and freedom of expression, all of which continue to promote cultural understanding and press freedom.

When asked if any specific moments of her storied career stood out as exemplifying such praise, Korah pointed to her work covering long-standing issues in Armenia and its conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan.

“ I'm really happy to have raised awareness of the Armenian issue as a very under-reported story of ancient Christian communities that are being destroyed,” she said.

Having gone from Carleton’s newsroom to Ottawa’s medal stage, Korah hopes to continue turning human rights stories from the world over into a national echo.

Read Korah's coverage with the Register here.