After almost a decade in the industry, Friesen started to build up steam in her career. By the late 1990s, she was recruited by national networks in both the US and Canada. She got her first major break when she joined NBC News. At NBC, Friesen covered stories out of London as well as the Middle East. In the desert region, she covered the Israeli Palestinian conflict and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Israeli Palestinian conflict has been going on for centuries and is considered to be a very dangerous topic for journalists to cover.

Friesen was dedicated to bringing her audience exclusive coverage. She even traveled to Iraq for a few days when tensions were high. She wanted to fully immerse herself into the environment so that she could understand the environment she was reporting on. Friesen did not try to avoid dark topics, she was a key figure in covering the kidnapping and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Karachi.

Friesen won her biggest award when she received an Emmy for her part in NBC's coverage of the 2008 U.S Presidential Election. She was able to represent all the multiple angles and viewpoints that were coming in during a historical presidential race. It was Barack Obama’s first term, marking the first time an African American took the seat of United States President.

In 2010, Friesen succeeded Kevin Newman as Global National anchor at Global News. Friesen became the first full-time female news anchor to lead a nightly newscast in Canada. In 2011, she won the Gemini Award for best news anchor.

Philanthropy

Dawna was very thankful for how her parents raised her. Unfortunately, both her parents developed dementia as they reached their later ages. Friesen was deeply saddened by the mental conditions of her parents. She became an active supporter and advocate for the Alzheimer Society of Canada.