Global News and The Local Win CJF Excellence Awards

Press Release

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.

Held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, the CJF Awards brought together more than 500 journalists, media executives and business leaders from across Canada to celebrate journalistic achievements of the past year.

Among the evening’s other honourees:

• CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting: This $10,000 award, sponsored by Intact Financial Corporation, celebrates a journalist or journalistic team whose work shines a spotlight on the climate crisis and related innovative solutions. This year’s award went to Canada’s National Observer for Big Green Build, reported by Darius Snieckus, a series of deeply researched stories on Canada’s housing construction crisis and the generational opportunity to build greener and better to meet the country’s climate targets.
• The Landsberg Award, celebrating exceptional coverage of women’s equality issues, went to Jana Pruden, for In Her Defence: 50th Street, a podcast series produced with Kasia Mychajlowycz for The Globe and Mail and focused on the life and still-unsolved death of Indigenous woman Amber Tuccaro.
• The William Southam Journalism Fellowships at Massey College, which provide 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:
  • Blaise Eyong, a Cameroonian multimedia specialist with more than a decade of experience, as the Gordon N. Fisher / Journalists for Human Rights Fellow;
  • Owen Guo, a Toronto-based freelancer, as the Massey College Journalism Fellow;
  • Freelance writer and producer Pacinthe Mattar as the St. Clair Balfour Fellow;
  • Jordan Michael Smith, a contributing writer at The New Republic, as the Webster McConnell Fellow; and
  • Award-winning journalist and educator Vinita Srivastava as the Massey College Journalism Fellow.

Additionally, the following previously announced bursary, fellowship and award recipients were recognized.

• The inaugural CJF Indigenous Health Journalism Fellowship, in partnership with the Canadian Medical Association, went to Winnipeg journalist Lenard Monkman. This groundbreaking three-year initiative is aimed at fostering expert reporting on critical health issues affecting Indigenous communities and is supported by the Canadian Medical Association.
  
  
  
• The CJF Bursary for BIPOC Student Journalists, designed to support students who have demonstrated strong engagement with the BIPOC community and a commitment to high journalistic standards, went to Alexa Toguri-Laurin of Concordia University. The bursary is supported by Media Profile.
  
  
  
• The CJF-CP News Creators Fellowships provide aspiring news creators with comprehensive training and mentorship from The Canadian Press’s editors and journalists during a six-week paid internship. These fellowships are supported by YouTube Canada and The Google News Initiative.

The inaugural CJF-CP News Creator Fellows are:

• • Willa Easton, of Toronto and the Blue Mountains, Ont.;
  • Angelina Havaris, of Toronto and London, Ont.;
  • Jacqueline Newsome, of Halifax;
  • Fatima Raza, of Toronto;
  • Noah Trenton, of Mississauga, Ont.; and
  • Janessa Ventura-Alvarenga, of London, Ont.
    
    
• The CJF Black Journalism Fellowship Program, established to amplify Black voices, improve coverage of Black issues and cultivate future Black media leaders, provides the opportunity for early-career Black journalists to be hosted for six months at newsrooms with fellowship partners The Globe and Mail, CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV News and the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB). The 2025 fellowship recipients are:
  • Myrialine Catule, the CJF-IJB Black Journalism Fellowship, with thanks to sponsors North Horizon and Unifor;
  • Amal Mohamud, the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Women’s Journalism Fellowship, with thanks to sponsor Aritzia;
  • Adriel Smiley, the CJF-CBC/Radio-Canada Black Journalism Fellowship;
  • Bianca Thompson, the CJF-Globe and Mail Black Business Journalism Fellowship, with thanks to sponsor Canada Life; and
  • Kayla Thompson, the CJF-CTV News Black Journalism Fellowship, with thanks to sponsor BMO Financial Group.
    
    
• The CJF-CBC Indigenous Journalism Fellowship, established to foster better comprehension of Indigenous issues, was awarded to Joy SpearChief Morris, an Indigenous Black journalist from Lethbridge, Alta.
• 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  Toronto-based photojournalist and multimedia creator Sammy Kogan. The award is co-presented by The Canadian Press and supported by Sony.
• The CJF Edward Burtynsky Award for Climate Photojournalism, which celebrates provocative, impactful and inspirational climate photography from around the world went to Gavin John of Calgary. This award is generously supported by Marci McDonald and Clair Balfour, Lisa Balfour Bowen and Sony.

Special CJF honorees included Bob McKeown, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his decades-long record of excellence in investigative journalism, reporting from more than 60 countries and winning dozens of awards and honours as a reporter, host producer, writer and documentary filmmaker.

Award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker Tanya Talaga received the CJF Tribute in recognition of her commitment to Indigenous storytelling, bringing critical issues in neglected communities to light and changing Canada’s media landscape.

Award-winning multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and songwriter Aysanabee made a special appearance to pay tribute to Talaga.

The Toronto Star received a CJF Special Citation for its groundbreaking investigation into the sexual abuse that Andrea Skinner, daughter of Canadian literary giant Alice Munro, suffered at the hands of her stepfather, Munro’s husband. The months-long investigation, reported by Deborah Dundas and Betsy Powell, demonstrated extraordinary courage and sensitivity, illuminating the darkest shadows of human experience.

The evening also featured the CJF’s annual In Memoriam tribute to journalists who have passed over the preceding year.

The Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellowship recipient for 2025 has been selected. The Fellowship announcement will be made in the spring of 2026.

Elamin Abdelmahmoud, host of CBC Radio’s daily arts, pop culture and entertainment show COMMOTION, hosted the awards ceremony.

The CJF is grateful for the generous support of presenting sponsor CIBC for its awards evening.

The CJF also thanks supporters Google News Initiative, Rogers, Labatt Breweries of Canada, McCain Foods, Intact, TD Bank Group, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Canada Life, Sobeys, CBC/Radio-Canada, CTV News, Scotiabank, RBC, FGS Longview, KPMG in Canada, Canadian Bankers Association, WSP Canada, Jackman Foundation, Canadian Medical Association, Accenture, Aga Khan Development Network, Apple News, Bennett Jones LLP, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Canadian Women’s Foundation, CPP Investments, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Maple Leaf Foods, OLG, Rishi Nolan Strategies, TD Securities, Uber Canada, Barry and Laurie Green, CDPQ, Zai Mamdani/Mamdani Family Foundation, North Horizon Holdings, Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail and Massey College.

In-kind sponsorship is provided by Beehive Design, The Canadian Press, Bespoke Audio Visual, MLSE, The Globe and Mail and Porter Airlines.

Cision is the exclusive distribution partner of the CJF.

About the Canadian Journalism Foundation

Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) fosters excellence in journalism through the support and recognition of emerging and experienced journalists and their organizations and enhances the public’s understanding of fact-based journalism. The CJF facilitates dialogue about the role of journalism in Canadian society and the ongoing challenges for journalism in the digital era through its J-Talks public speakers series, which are hosted at venues across Canada and online. The Foundation recognizes excellence in journalism through its prestigious awards programs, which are showcased at the CJF’s annual gala. Through its fellowships programs, the Foundation provides opportunities for journalism education, training and research to encourage a diverse Canadian media. #CJFAwards

For further information: Media Contact Information: Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, nturvey@cjf-fjc.ca, www.cjf-fjc.ca

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