Canadian Journalism Foundation and Facebook Journalism Project announce news literacy award
TORONTO, Oct. 23, 2017 /CNW/ - The new CJF-Facebook Journalism Project News Literacy Award is a joint initiative by The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and the Facebook Journalism Project, established to promote news literacy among Canadians in an age of widespread information on various platforms and from different sources.
The award, which carries a $10,000 prize, will celebrate journalistic efforts that encourage Canadians to understand and assess the quality of news in their communities. It will also recognize best practices that underpin factual reporting as key contributions to Canadian democracy.
"A healthy news ecosystem is essential to Canada's democracy and so is the authentic exchange of ideas and information. Facebook is deeply committed to both," says Kevin Chan, Head of Public Policy for Facebook Canada. "This award—to promote journalistic efforts that increase the critical consumption of news—is an important part of bringing that commitment to life."
The following types of news projects would be eligible for the award:
- Journalistic works and undertakings that explore the relationship between journalism in all its forms and democratic engagement, with a focus on models for the future of news;
- Projects that test new or innovative processes or practices that enlighten audiences about the time, effort and costs involved in maintaining standards of excellence and factual reporting in professional journalism in the digital age;
- Innovative initiatives by news organizations and other relevant organizations that help create an informed news audience by providing them with the tools to help expose misinformation.
"Making sense of the quality of news and information is more important than ever. News literacy is essential so that Canadians can make informed judgements about the information they come across online," says Natalie Turvey, Executive Director of the CJF. "We're delighted to add this award to our programming to reward and highlight media initiatives that are working to create informed news audiences."
The Award aims, not only promote news literacy and the importance of quality journalism, but also drive new and innovative initiatives and projects focused on this issue.
This award will open in January 2018 (www.cjf-fjc.ca) and be presented at the annual CJF Awards held in June.
About The Canadian Journalism Foundation
Founded in 1990, The Canadian Journalism Foundation promotes excellence in journalism by celebrating outstanding journalistic achievement. Our signature events include an annual awards program featuring a must-attend annual industry gala where Canada's top newsmakers meet Canada's top news people. Through J-Talks, our popular speaker's series, we facilitate dialogue among journalists, business people, 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.
About Facebook
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. More than 23 million Canadians use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them. The Facebook Journalism Project is designed to support journalism and news literacy, and to serve as a hub for journalists and publishers to learn and share. Facebook® is a registered trademark of Facebook Inc. All other brand or product names mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation
For further information: For inquiries: Natalie Turvey, Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, 416-955-0396, [email protected]; Jessie Sitnick, Argyle Public Relationships, 416-859-9250, [email protected]
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