TORONTO – June 12, 2025 – Global News is this year’s recipient of the CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism in the large-media category, for organizations with more than 50 newsroom employees. Global News received the award this evening at the annual Canadian Journalism Foundation Awards. 

Named in honour of CJF founder Dr. Eric Jackman, this annual excellence award established in 1996 recognizes news organizations, large and small, that embrace journalistic excellence — originality, courage, independence, accuracy, social responsibility, accountability and diversity — resulting in a positive impact on the communities they serve.

The CJF honoured Global News for The New Reality: The Business of Indigenous Kids in Care, an investigation into the treatment of Indigenous youth in the child-welfare system, that revealed startling allegations that some of the most vulnerable children are being preyed upon by some for-profit, group-home companies. This marks the first time Global earned the Dr. Eric Jackman Excellence award.

In the small-media category, The Local also won its first CJF Dr. Eric Jackman Award for Divided City, its groundbreaking neighbourhood-level analysis of life expectancy in Toronto that revealed stark disparities across the city, especially between richer and poorer neighbourhoods.

Through this prestigious award, the CJF has since 1996 recognized news organizations that embrace ideals of journalistic excellence – originality, courage, independence, accuracy, social responsibility, accountability and diversity.

The winners were announced at the CJF Awards ceremony on June 12 at the Royal York Hotel.

CIBC was 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.

CJF Dr. Eric Jackman Awards for Excellence in Journalism, Small Media Category Winner

The Local

CJF Dr. Eric Jackman Awards for Excellence in Journalism, Large Media Category Winner

Global News

About the CJF Dr. Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism

The CJF Dr. Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism honours a Canadian organization that embodies exemplary journalism with a resulting impact on the community it serves.

On the 25th anniversary of the CJF in 2015, the Excellence in Journalism Award was named after Dr. Eric Jackman, the founder of the CJF, a business leader and award-winning clinical psychologist. Jackman—along with the founding directors—developed the criteria for this award, which reflects his passion and deep commitment to the CJF’s mission, and recognizes his vision, guidance and continued contribution to strengthening journalism.

Since 1996, the CJF has celebrated news organizations that embrace ideals of journalistic excellence – accuracy, independence, accountability, courage and originality – with this annual award.

Winners, since 2007, are selected in two categories: large media and small media. Applicants can enter either category, determined by the size of staff for reporting, production, technical and presentation support and the staff they can draw upon within any larger organization of which they are a part:
– large media organization (more than 50 full-time employees)- small media organization (50 full-time employees or less)

Entrants must indicate which of these two categories they represent. There is a $200 application fee for large media organizations and a $100 application fee for small media organizations.

Submission Requirements

– Entries will be judged on a specific story or series of stories produced by each organization during the 2024 calendar year.

– Only material published or broadcast in 2024 may be submitted.

– Only one entry will be accepted from a single Canadian print media outlet, broadcast program or online news organization.

– Entries may have up to THREE individual items on a common theme. Can include: articles, editorials, blogs, photographs, cartoons, videos, radio broadcasts, interactive graphics, multimedia projects.

In addition to a short summary of the proposal, the following questions should be addressed (with the weight each represents):

– Detail the resources in time and numbers dedicated to the work submitted, compared to the overall resources of the news organization. Describe the extent of work that went into the production of the story or series. (30%)

– Explain why your news organization selected this topic. (10%)

– Describe with supporting evidence the distinctiveness of the story (e.g. impact of the story/stories, specific communities affected, exceptional resourcefulness demonstrated by an individual reporter or reporters in a breaking news event, innovative technologies used to deliver the story).  (30%)

– From this list of standards for excellence in journalism, select up to three that are most applicable to your submission and explain why you selected each of them: Originality, Courage, Independence, Accuracy, Social Responsibility, Accountability, Diversity. (30%)

In evaluating each entry, the jury will consider:
– Quality of Writing/Storytelling
– Clarity of Work Submitted – Stated Impact on Community

Judging Methodology

The judging panel is comprised of four to eight jurors (with bilingual representatives), who review all submitted entries through an online portal, rank the entries and then attend a face-to-face meeting or participate via conference call with their rankings to agree upon the finalists and recipient of the award. The finalists will be announced in April and May. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The recipient is announced at the CJF Awards ceremony in June.

The finalists are announced in April or May. The recipient is determined by a jury.

Please contact CJF president and executive director Natalie Turvey should you have any questions.

Applications for 2025 are now closed.