Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma offers bursaries for freelance journalists

The deadline for freelance journalists to apply for bursaries from the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma to help pay for the cost of hazardous environment training is fast approaching.

The Forum Freelance Fund is sponsored by CBC News and supported by Radio-Canada, Canada News Wire, Macintosh Media and individual contributions. Last year, the fund awarded bursaries to freelancers based in Afghanistan, Tunisia, China and Colombia, all of whose works appeared in Canadian media.

The deadline for freelance journalists to apply for bursaries from the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma to help pay for the cost of hazardous environment training is fast approaching.

The Forum Freelance Fund is sponsored by CBC News and supported by Radio-Canada, Canada News Wire, Macintosh Media and individual contributions. Last year, the fund awarded bursaries to freelancers based in Afghanistan, Tunisia, China and Colombia, all of whose works appeared in Canadian media.

According to the International News Safety Institute, 152 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2012 because of their work, said forum president Cliff Lonsdale in a news release.

Related content on J-Source:

"This situation should be a concern for every media organization," said Lonsdale.

“Most of those affected were young people trying to make their name in an increasingly tough environment,” he said. “Many didn't have the necessary resources or training to meet basic safety needs.”

The Forum Freelance Fund offers two types of bursaries. Freelancers can apply for bursaries of up to $2,500 to help them attend courses provided by any of five approved commercial trainers – TYR Solutions, AKE, Centurion, Pilgrims Group and Tor International – in the U.S. and U.K. Freelancers can also apply for bursaries of up to $1,000 to attend a lower-priced course – Reporting Safely in Crisis Zones – at the Columbia Journalism School in New York, October 18-20, 2013.

The application deadline is Aug. 31, 2013.

Full details are available on the Forum's website.