The Globe and Mail and IndigiNews win CJF Jackman Awards for Excellence in Journalism

TORONTO, June 7, 2022 /CNW/ - The Globe and Mail is this year's winner of the CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism in the large-media category, announced tonight at the annual Canadian Journalism Foundation Awards. 

The CJF honoured the Globe for "Escape from Afghanistan," a story documenting journalist Mark MacKinnon's courageous work on the efforts to evacuate Afghan nationals following the fall of Afghanistan. It is the Globe's sixth win in the award's 26-year history.

The Globe and Mail is this year's recipient of the CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism in the large media category. Journalist Mark MacKinnon (right) was joined on stage by Afghan colleague Mohammed Sharif Sharaf. The award marked an end to the sold-out ceremony welcoming journalists, media and business leaders to the first in-person CJF event since 2019. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)

Named after CJF founder Eric Jackman, this annual award honours news organizations, large and small, that embody exemplary journalism and have a profound and positive impact on the communities they serve.

In the small-media category, IndigiNews, a free, online Indigenous-led news platform, won for its revelatory reporting on the B.C. government's controversial practice of birth alerts that were declared "illegal and unconstitutional" by lawyers months before the government stopped the program.

Held at the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto, the first in-person CJF Awards since 2019 drew more than 400 journalists, media executives and business leaders from across Canada to celebrate journalism's accomplishments of the past year.

Among the evening's other award winners:

• CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting: The $10,000 award, sponsored by Intact Financial, which celebrates a journalist or journalistic team whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions, went to the Globe and Mail's team of climate journalists, which includes Ryan MacDonald, Kathryn Blaze Baum, Jeffrey Jones and Adam Radwanski, for their narrative-shifting stories on how to re-engineer the economy to adapt to and capitalize on climate change.
• CJF-Meta Journalism Project Digital News Innovation Award: The $10,000 award, sponsored by Meta, which celebrates initiatives by news organizations that advance the quality of digital journalism, went to New Canadian Media (NCM), an online outlet showcasing and supporting journalists from immigrant communities. Through an alliance with the Canadian Association of Journalists and affiliation with the National NewsMedia Council, NCM members gained access to pre-publication advice and professional development opportunities.
• The Landsberg Award, which celebrates exceptional coverage of women's equality issues, went to Calgary-based freelancer Christina Frangou for her independent character-driven stories in Chatelaine, Toronto Life and Reader's Digest revealing discrimination in Canada's medical and legal systems. The award is presented in association with the Canadian Women's Foundation, which provides the $5,000 prize.
• The William Southam Journalism Fellowships, which reward mid-career journalists with an academic year to audit courses and participate fully in life at Massey College, are awarded annually by the University of Toronto and Massey College. This year's winners are:
• Natasha Grzincic, deputy editor at VICE News, where she oversees newsroom development and leads coverage on the climate crisis and social justice, received the William Southam Journalism Fellowship;
• Hannah Hoag, the deputy editor as well as the energy and environment editor at The Conversation Canada, received the Webster McConnell Fellowship;
• Elizabeth Wanja Gathu, a Kenyan journalist with more than 15 years of multi-media experience working with both local and international media, received the Gordon N. Fisher/JHR Fellowship; 
• Omayra Issa, a senior reporter for CBC News, received the CBC/Radio-Canada Fellowship. Issa co-created and co-produced CBC's Black on the Prairies, which brought to life stories detailing Black lives past and present in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta; and
• Valérie Ouellet, the CBC's senior data journalist, received the St. Clair Balfour Fellowship. Her stories for the CBC News Investigative Unit often explore women's health, social injustice and systemic inequalities.

Additionally, the following previously announced fellowship recipients were recognized at the event.

• The CJF Black Journalism Fellowship Program, established to amplify Black voices, improve coverage of Black issues in the news and cultivate future Black media leaders, provides a unique opportunity for early-career Black journalists to be hosted for six months at a newsroom with award partners CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV News and the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB). The 2022 fellowship recipients are:
• Wendy-Ann Clarke, the inaugural CJF-IJB Black Investigative Journalism Fellowship. With thanks to founding sponsors Unifor and the Jay and Barbara Hennick Family Foundation; 
• Kiernan Green, the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship. With thanks to founding sponsor lululemon; 
• Dorcas Marfo, the CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship. With thanks to founding sponsor BMO Financial Group; and 
• Ashleigh-Rae Thomas, the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women's Journalism Fellowship. With thanks to founding sponsor Aritzia.
• The CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowships, established to foster better comprehension of Indigenous issues, went to Renée Lilley, a reporter with CBC Indigenous and Erin Blondeau, a writer and researcher at Métis Nation of British Columbia and communications coordinator with Indigenous Climate Action. CBC News will host the duo for one month at its Indigenous Unit in Winnipeg. With thanks to award sponsor Sobeys Inc. and individual donor Isabel Bassett, former Ontario Minister of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation and former chair and CEO of TVO.
• The Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award, which provides an early-career photojournalist with the opportunity to spend six weeks at The Canadian Press head office in Toronto, went to Alex Lupul, a recent graduate of Loyalist College in Belleville, Ont. The award is co-presented by The Canadian Press and supported by Sony.

Special CJF honorees included Lifetime Achievement Award recipient  Michèle Ouimet, a former La Presse journalist, in recognition of her fearless career and desire to tell impactful stories that provided a voice to the voiceless in Canada and abroad.

Broadcaster and environmental activist David Suzuki was honoured with the CJF Tribute in recognition of his exceptional career in science broadcasting and commitment to informing Canadians about the climate change crisis. The award was presented by internationally renowned photographer Ed Burtynsky. Award-winning singer-songwriter Serena Ryder performed a song in tribute to Suzuki. 

The event also featured opening remarks by Margaret Atwood, whose writings and activism demonstrate a commitment to the importance of democracy, human rights and environmentalism.

Matt Galloway, host of CBC Radio's The Current, emceed the awards ceremony.

The CJF is grateful for the generous support of presenting sponsor Google.

The CJF also thanks sponsors Telus Communications Inc., Labatt Breweries of Canada, Jackman Foundation, Accenture, Meta, lululemon, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Sobeys Inc., Medtronic Canada, CIBC, Rogers, Shaw, McCain Foods Ltd., KPMG Canada, CTV News, TD Bank Group, CBC/Radio-Canada, General Motors of Canada, Intact Financial, Apple News, Blakes, CPP Investments, Canadian Women's Foundation, Canadian Bankers Association, CDPQ, Centre for International Governance Innovation, Global News, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, La Presse, Humber College, Longview Communications and Public Affairs, Maple Leaf Foods Inc., Power Corporation of Canada, Thomson Reuters, Torys LLP, Massey College in the University of Toronto and the Zai Mamdani/Mamdani Family Foundation.

Thanks also to Porter Airlines, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Postmedia, The Canadian Press and CISION for their in-kind contributions.

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 fellowships 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, businesspeople, 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.

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SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation

Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected], www.cjf-fjc.ca