CJF Black Journalism Fellows Announced
TORONTO, May 1, 2024 /CNW/ – The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is proud to announce Dominique Gené, Démar Grant, Zuhra Jibril, Daysha Loppie and Aajah Sauter as recipients of the Black Journalism Fellowship Program, in partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV News, The Globe and Mail and the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB).
The fellowship program aims to amplify Black voices, improve coverage of Black issues in the news and cultivate future Black media leaders. Each fellowship provides a unique opportunity for an early-career Black journalist—with one-to-five years’ experience—to be hosted for six months at CBC/Radio-Canada (English and French), The Globe and Mail, a CTV News newsroom or at the IJB at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
The fellowship recipients are:
- Dominique Gené, a freelance journalist and 2024 Journalism and Humanities graduate of Carleton University, recipient of the CJF-Globe and Mail Black Business Journalism Fellowship;
- Démar Grant, a freelance journalist from Mississauga, ON., recipient of the CJF-IJB Black Journalism Fellowship;
- Zuhra Jibril, a freelance journalist and Master’s student at the Carleton University School of Journalism and Communication, recipient of the CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship;
- Daysha Loppie, a freelance journalist from Toronto, recipient of the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship; and
- Aajah Sauter, a student journalist at Grant MacEwan University, recipient of the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship.
“This year’s CJF Black Journalism Fellows will bring great energy and fresh perspectives to Canadian newsrooms,” says jury member Melissa Stasiuk, Head of Newsroom Development at The Globe and Mail. “We are excited to welcome our second fellow from this important program to The Globe.”
“The CJF Black Journalism Fellowships are a tremendous complementary initiative in the critical expansion of diversity and inclusion in Canadian newsrooms,” says jury member Sophia Skopelitis, Director, Content Creator Talent & People Resources – CTV News (Bell Media). “Our journalism is stronger, more credible, more relatable and more impactful when it reflects the diversity of our communities. I look forward to seeing the great work of this year’s Black Journalism Fellows.”
The five fellows will receive mentoring and training for a variety of skills, including video and audio editing, writing, research and investigative reporting. The CBC fellowships are offered in English or French.
Each fellow will receive a competitive full-time stipend and will write, produce or contribute to an article/series during their fellowship opportunity, which will be considered for publication/broadcast by the media partner organizations.
The recipients will be recognized at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 12 at the Fairmont Royal York. For more information, see contact details below or visit the CJF Awards page.
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors:
- Aritzia: CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship;
- BMO Financial Group: CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship;
- Canada Life: CJF-Globe and Mail Black Business Journalism Fellowship;
- lululemon and Justice Fund: CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship; and
- Unifor and North Horizon: CJF-IJB Black Investigative Journalism Fellowship.
The CJF Black Journalism Fellowship jury members are:
- Desmond Brown (chair), RE/MAX real estate agent, Life In The 6ix; former reporter at CTV, National Post, Toronto Star;
- Ron Charles, retired national reporter, CBC News;
- Rob Cribb, investigative journalist, Toronto Star founder and director, The Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health;
- Andree Lau, senior director, digital publishing and streaming, CBC News;
- Melissa Stasiuk, head of newsroom development, The Globe and Mail: and
- Sophia Skopelitis, Director, Content Creator Talent and People Resources, CTV News
