CJF Black Journalism Fellowship Recipients
TORONTO, May 2, 2023 – The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is proud to announce Leïla Ahouman, Serena Lopez, Mzwandile Poncana, Rahma Shafi and Daniel Reale-Chin 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 Sciences.
The fellowship recipients are:
Leïla Ahouman, CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship;
Serena Lopez, CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship;
Mzwandile Poncana, CJF-IJB Black Journalism Fellowship;
Rahma Shafi, CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship; and
Daniel Reale-Chin, inaugural CJF-Globe and Mail Black Journalism Fellowship.
“We’re pleased to welcome the Globe and Mail‘s first CJF Black Journalism Fellowship recipient to our newsroom in September 2023,” says jury member Sandra E. Martin, head of newsroom development at the Globe. “We know from conversations with the CJF and other partner organizations that racialized journalists often self-exclude from mainstream media, and we need to do a better job of building our talent funnel and of ensuring newsrooms are welcoming and supportive of a wide range of journalists.
“This CJF Fellowship supports newsrooms in these efforts and helps talented Black journalists obtain the experience and mentorship that can take their careers to the next level.”
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 13 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 for the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship;
- BMO Financial Group for the CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship; and
- Unifor and Gerry Gotfrit for the CJF-IJB Black Investigative Journalism Fellowship.
