2022 CJF-IJB Black Journalism Fellow

by Wendy-Ann Clarke

Participating in the CJF fellowship at the Investigative Journalism Bureau has been pivotal to my journalistic career.

Throughout my six-month journey I’ve been immersed in a story deeply impacting Indigenous communities across the nation. My work has involved everything from gathering and organizing data, to conducting interviews with experts and vulnerable subjects, and contributing to the collaborative writing process.

Working under the tutelage of one of the best in the business, Rob Cribb along with the strong team of journalists at the IJB, has been a gift. Their standard of excellence has made me a more thorough reporter as well as a better listener and thinker.

Most days we work out of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto or at the Toronto Star office, but a lot of this experience for me has been in the field. So much of what we’ve accomplished so far in the reporting of this story has been a result of our collective efforts that have taken place right in the communities.  From helping to produce and conduct on-location interviews for our documentary-style project with TVOntario, to visiting establishments, to attending Indigenous conferences and events, I’ve been able to do the important work of listening and learning. This has contributed greatly to my personal growth. I look forward to when the story is published in the coming months.

What I’ve appreciated most about the experience is that I didn’t have to carve out a learning space for myself but instead I came into an environment designed to cultivate investigative reporters. I’ve sat in on informative sessions on topics such as data journalism, filing FOIs, and gleaned from intimate and interactive sessions from speakers such as media law expert Justice Paul Schabas, and investigative heavy hitters Julian Sher, Kathryn Gretsinger and Susanne Reber.

In a short time, this opportunity has significantly opened my professional scope. I’m excited to report that my journey with the IJB will not end here as I’ve been contracted for another year! I look forward to what’s ahead and hope Black journalists will continue to benefit from this experience for many years to come.

Details on the 2022 CJF Black Journalism Fellowship Program.