The CJF Black Journalism Fellowships
The CJF Black Journalism Fellowships Winners
Toronto, May 12, 2025 – The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) announced Myrialine Catule, Amal Mohamud, Adriel Smiley, Bianca Thompson and Kayla Thompson as recipients of this year’s annual 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 Sciences.
The Fellowship recipients are:
- Myrialine Catule, a recent graduate of Concordia University with a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Journalism, recipient of the CJF-IJB Black Journalism Fellowship;
- Amal Mohamud, a first-generation Somali-Canadian journalist and producer living in Edmonton, recipient of the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship;
- Adriel Smiley, an award-winning Toronto-based journalist and multimedia storyteller and creator of the acclaimed podcast Album Mode, recipient of the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship;
- Bianca Thompson, a Toronto-based freelance multimedia journalist, recipient of the CJF-Globe and Mail Black Business Journalism Fellowship; and
- Kayla Thompson, a Toronto-based journalist currently working at Caribbean Vibrations TV, recipient of the CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship.
“This year’s cohort of Black Journalism Fellows brings great energy and excellent journalistic potential to the program,” says jury chair and CJF Board member Desmond Brown. “They are an impressive group, with great ideas and energy, and I look forward to seeing what they accomplish in their newsrooms.”
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 were recognized at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 12 at the Fairmont Royal York.
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-The Globe and Mail Black Business Journalism Fellowship;
- Unifor and North Horizon: CJF-IJB Black Investigative Journalism Fellowship.
The CJF Black Journalism Fellowship jury members are:
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- Desmond Brown (chair), RE/MAX real estate agent, Life In The 6ix; former reporter at CTV, National Post, Toronto Star;
- Rob Cribb, investigative journalist, Toronto Star, and founder and director, The Investigative Journalism Bureau at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health;
- Nathan Downer, CTV News Toronto Anchor;
- Andree Lau, senior director, digital publishing and streaming, CBC News;
- Sophia Skopelitis, Director, Content Creator Talent and People Resources, CTV News;
- Takara Small, technology and business journalist;
- Melissa Stasiuk, head of newsroom development, The Globe and Mail; and
- David Thurton, senior parliamentary reporter, CBC.
CIBC is the presenting sponsor of the 2025 CJF Awards.
The 2025 CJF Awards are also supported by Google News Initiative, Labatt Breweries of Canada, McCain Foods, Intact, TD Bank Group, CBC/Radio-Canada, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Canada Life, Sobeys, Scotiabank, RBC, FGS Longview Communications, KPMG, Canadian Bankers Association, Canadian Medical Association, Accenture, Aga Khan Development Network, Apple Canada News, Bennett Jones LLP, Blakes, Canadian Women’s Foundation, CPP Investments, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, OLG, Rishi Nolan Strategies, TD Securities, Uber, WSP. In-kind sponsorship is provided by Beehive Design, The Canadian Press, Bespoke Audio Visual, MLSE and Porter Airlines.
Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the CJF.
About the Canadian Journalism Foundation
Established in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes, celebrates and facilitates excellence in journalism. The foundation runs a prestigious annual awards and fellowship program featuring an industry gala where news leaders, journalists and corporate Canada gather to celebrate outstanding journalistic achievement and the value of professional journalism. Through monthly J-Talks, a public speakers’ series, the CJF facilitates dialogue among journalists, business people, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for media in the digital era. The foundation also fosters opportunities for journalism education, training and research.
For further information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, E-mail: nturvey@cjf-fjc.ca
