CJF names John Wright as inaugural Distinguished Research Fellow

 

Toronto, August 27, 2026 – The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Canada Pulse Insights CEO John Wright as its inaugural Distinguished Research Fellow.

 

Wright, one of Canada’s most respected public opinion researchers, brings decades of experience to the CJF’s ongoing research program. A former CJF board member, Wright has collaborated with the Foundation on past polling, analyzing news consumption habits, the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism and the role of news creators in the Canadian news ecosystem. In this new position, he will continue to guide the CJF’s research efforts, helping the Foundation and its partners understand how Canadians engage with news and what that means for the future of journalism in Canada.

 

“I’m deeply honoured by this appointment,” says Wright. “Having worked with journalists throughout my career, I hold each of them in the highest regard for their vigilance and integrity in bringing unvarnished, fact-based insights to the public. Their role today has never been more important.”

 

Wright’s prolific career began in 1989 at the Angus Reid Group, where he secured the first monthly media polling Agency of Record (AOR) role with Southam News. This led to media polling partnerships with CFRB (NewsTalk 1010) and CBC Newsworld, and following Angus Reid’s acquisition by Ipsos, Wright led long-term AOR polling partnerships with CTV, The Globe and Mail, the National Post, Global News, and Report on Business Magazine. In addition to his client practice as Senior Vice President of Ipsos Public Affairs, he also established groundbreaking AOR relationships with CNN International, The Associated Press, McClatchy News, and Reuters International with the first ever regular monthly global polling AOR program.

 

He also hosted a decade-long weekly radio talk show with journalists and stakeholders, Your Opinion Counts (NewsTalk 1010), and co-hosted BNN’s Squeeze Play with Amanda Lang. Wright wrote Canada’s first sector-defining polling Standards of Disclosure Requirements and was the first in Canada to popularize private-sector and PR/media-agency polling for public release. He also published the first textbook on the public affairs profession in Canada and, with Dr. Darrell Bricker, co-authored three best-selling books on Canadian opinions and trends. 

 

“John has long been instrumentally involved in shaping the CJF’s growth,” says Natalie Turvey, president and executive director of the CJF. “As a former CJF board member and lead researcher on our recent reports about media literacy in the age of AI, his expertise in distilling data into insightful, actionable reports is unparalleled. 

 

“We are thrilled to have him join us in this new role that will allow him to continue to produce robust research and reporting on the state of Canadian journalism today.”

 

With more than 2,500 polling releases to his name, Wright is the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) with six Command Commendations.

About John Wright

 

John Wright, CD, FRCGS, CAIP, has been a fixture on the media polling scene for almost four decades, pioneering the use of polling for media properties, the private sector and agencies to bring insights to Canadians and audiences abroad. Over his career, he has also provided tactical public affairs quantitative research to countless national and international clients and is currently CEO of Canada Pulse Insights and Strategic Communications.

 

Beginning with the National Angus Reid poll in 1990, he crafted the first monthly media polling Agency of Record (AOR) role with Southam News and developed media polling partnerships with CFRB (NewsTalk 1010) and CBC Newsworld. These relationships led to long‑term AOR polling partnerships with CTV and The Globe and Mail, the National Post and Global News, and Report on Business Magazine.

 

In 1991, John rolled out the first international polling AOR with CNN and The Economist, and with The Associated Press for its U.S. domestic polling. In 2000, the newly formed Ipsos Reid began an almost decade‑long relationship he forged as AOR for U.S. McClatchy News, polling on domestic issues and presidential elections. In 2009, he led Ipsos in establishing a transformational relationship with Reuters International as the first monthly global polling AOR, surveying citizens in 24 countries—a program that continues today.

 

In addition to being a prolific media commentator, he hosted a weekly radio talk show with journalists and stakeholders called Your Opinion Counts (NewsTalk 1010) and co‑hosted BNN’s Squeeze Play with Amanda Lang.

 

A vigorous advocate for media polling integrity and transparency, he wrote the first Canadian polling Standards of Disclosure Requirements for the Canadian Association of Public Opinion Research (CAPOR), which he and colleague Dr. Darrell Bricker founded in 2015. That code is now enshrined as a fundamental membership criterion for the Canadian Research and Insights Council (CRIC), the market‑research industry’s leading body.

 

John is also recognized as the first in Canada to popularize private‑sector and PR/media‑agency polling for public release. Two of his Canadian clients—RBC and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA)—each received the IABC Gold Quill Jake Wittmer Research Award for separate polling‑driven campaigns, an unprecedented achievement. He has collaborated on more than 2,500 polling releases over his career.

 

Alongside his groundbreaking syndicated studies on Canadian newsrooms—national, community and business—he has conducted recent custom research projects for the CJF on media literacy in the age of AI and on Canadian independent news creator content. Among his publicly accessible research contributions, he has designed four media economic confidence monitors and outlooks, including the Primary Consumer Sentiment Index, housed and updated monthly at the London Stock Exchange Group.

 

John is a former member of the CJF Board of Directors and a founding director of numerous entities, including the Public Affairs Association of Canada, the Royal Canadian Air Force Foundation, the Canadian Institute at the Woodrow Wilson Center of Scholars in Washington, D.C., the Canadian Association for the Defence of the Wrongly Convicted and Canada Company—Many Ways to Serve. He has also served on the boards of publicly traded and other bodies, including Ontario Health and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.

 

A three‑time bestselling author and speaker, he has received numerous honours for his service to Canada, including the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the King Charles III Coronation Medal and the Canadian Forces Decoration (CD) with six Command Commendations.