Thirty Top Journalists To Mentor CAJ Members

Press Release

OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is thrilled to announce the launch of our January 2021 Mentorship Program.

Some of the best journalists working in radio, television, digital, and print publications across the country have stepped up to donate their time to mentor early-career CAJ members. This January program follows a pilot project the CAJ ran in September which saw 122 applicants for 16 mentors.

“There was an overwhelming demand for the CAJ’s first mentorship program last autumn so we’ve decided to make this a permanent part of our professional development offerings,” said CAJ President Brent Jolly. “The COVID pandemic has allowed us to refocus our efforts on more personal, and bespoke, training opportunities.”

“The CAJ is proud to reveal an incredible roster of renowned mentors that also reflects the diversity of Canada.”

Indeed, half of the mentors for this mentorship round are women and half are journalists of colour. This January’s roster of mentors includes:

• Adrian Harewood, co-anchor of CBC News Ottawa at 6
• Andray Domise, contributing editor at Maclean’s
• Angie Landry, coordinator and editor of Radio-Canada Arts website
• Brandi Morin, French/Cree/Iroquois freelance journalist
• Brigitte Noël,  investigative reporter with Radio-Canada’s flagship investigative series Enquête
• Carlos Osorio, Freelance photojournalist
• Daniel Dale, Reporter, CNN
• David Thurton, national reporter in CBC’s parliamentary bureau
• David Topping, Director of newsletters, Torstar
• Dylan Robertson, Ottawa bureau chief, Winnipeg Free Press
• Elamin Abdelmahmoud, Culture writer, BuzzFeed News and Host, CBC’s Party Lines and Pop Chat
• Eva Holland, Yukon-based freelance writer
• Evan Solomon, Host, CTV’s Question Period and Power Play
• Francine Pelletier, Columnist, Le Devoir and Journalism professor, Concordia University
• Hannah Sung, Podcast producer for Media Girlfriends and Historica Canada
• James Keller, Alberta Bureau Chief, The Globe and Mail
• Jeremy Klaszus, Founder and editor-in-chief, The Sprawl
• Karyn Pugliese, journalism professor at Ryerson University and past CAJ president
• Laurie Few, Executive Producer, Digital, TVO
• Matt Galloway, Host, CBC’s The Current
• Michelle Shephard, Co-founder, Frequent Flyer Films
• Nicholas Hune-Brown, Freelance magazine writer and Senior editor, The Local
• Nicolas Keung, Immigration reporter, Toronto Star
• Omar Mouallem, Freelance writer and journalist
• Robyn Smith, Editor in chief, The Tyee
• Rosa Hwang, Executive Producer, CTV National News
• Sarah Cox, B.C. investigative reporter, The Narwhal
• Stephanie Hinds, Segment producer and lineup editor, CTV’s The Social
• Sunaya Sapurji, Senior editor, The Athletic Canada
• Valérie Ouellet, Senior Data Journalist, CBC/Radio-Canada

In addition to this round, the CAJ will be running its mentorship program, again, in May and September 2021. Applicants need to be current CAJ members. Not already a CAJ member? We can fix that.

The deadline for applications is 5:00 pm ET on Friday February 12. For full details on the program, including mentor bios and the application form, please see here.

Successful applicants will meet with a mentor for one hour per week for the duration of the six week program.

The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 800 members across Canada. The CAJ’s primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.

For further information: Brent Jolly, CAJ president, 289-387-3179, brent@caj.ca