Canadian Journalism Foundation to celebrate excellence at 15th Annual Awards Gala

TORONTO, April 16, 2012 /CNW/ - Renowned ABC newsman Ted Koppel and CTV National News correspondent Seamus O'Regan will be among those recognizing journalistic excellence at The Canadian Journalism Foundation's (CJF) 15^th Annual Awards Gala on June 7 at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto.

More than 400 of the country's top business and media luminaries are expected to attend the Gala that celebrates organizations that strive for excellence in journalism and honours those who have made significant contributions to the profession throughout their careers.

Former Nightline anchor Koppel will present the annual CJF Honorary Tribute posthumously to Peter Jennings, Canadian-born senior editor and anchor of ABC's World News Tonight, to mark his storied career.

The winners of the Excellence in Journalism Award in the large-media and small-media categories will be announced at the event. The finalists in the large-media category are:

The Canadian Press
The Current - CBC Radio One
The Huffington Post Canada
Toronto Star
Winnipeg Free Press

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the publisher of Northern News Services, Jack "Sig" Sigvaldason, in honour of his 50-year contribution to journalism. Sigvaldason had a career in advertising, public relations and editorial—including opening his own ad agency—in Winnipeg before moving to Yellowknife as editor of News of the North. In 1971, after antagonizing various levels of government, advertisers and the local community, he was fired—only to start up the Yellowknifer (now celebrating its 40th year) and subsequently, Northern News Services, which publishes seven community newspapers. His success eventually allowed him to buy the newspaper that fired him and rename it News/North.

The Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award will be presented to freelancer Michelle Siu, and the Greg Clark Award will be presented to Tamara Baluja, a national reporter for The Globe and Mail. Other awards to be presented include the Canadian Journalism Fellowships and the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy.

"At a time when our business is under pressure on many fronts, from budget cuts to the Internet, it has become more important than ever to recognize that good journalism is good business," says Dawna Friesen, Global National executive editor and anchor, and last year's Gala host, "and part of that is honouring and applauding those journalists who strive for excellence. That's what the CJF awards do."

Seamus O'Regan, CTV National News correspondent, is this year's Gala host.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation thanks the following organizations for their support of the Awards Gala: Accenture; Labatt; Waste Management Canada; Barrick; BMO Financial Group; Thomson Reuters; Medtronic of Canada. Thank you also to The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CNW Group and CBC News for their in-kind donations.

For details, visit http://cjf-fjc.ca/gala-2012.

About The Canadian Journalism Foundation

Founded in 1990, the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in journalism by celebrating outstanding journalistic achievement through an annual awards program; by operating journalism websites, J-Source.ca (English) and ProjetJ.ca (French), in cooperation with the country's leading journalism schools; and by organizing events that facilitate dialogue among journalists, business people, government officials, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society; and by fostering opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

Video with caption: "Video: Canadian Journalism Foundation celebrates excellence at 15th Annual Awards Gala". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20120416_C5962_VIDEO_EN_12341.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12341.jpg&clientName=Canadian%20Journalism%20Foundation&caption=Video%3A%20Canadian%20Journalism%20Foundation%20celebrates%20excellence%20at%2015th%20Annual%20Awards%20Gala&title=Canadian%20Journalism%20Foundation%20celebrates%20excellence%20at%2015th%20Annual%20Awards%20Gala&headline=Canadian%20Journalism%20Foundation%20to%20celebrate%20excellence%20at%2015th%20Annual%20Awards%20Gala

Image with caption: "Jack "Sig" Sigvaldason, publisher of Northern News Services, is this year's CJF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12294.jpg

Image with caption: "The CJF Honorary Tribute will be presented posthumously to Peter Jennings, Canadian-born anchor and senior editor of ABC's World News Tonight. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12295.jpg

Image with caption: "Tamara Baluja, a national reporter with The Globe and Mail, is the winner of the CJF Greg Clark Award for early career journalists. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12297.jpg

Image with caption: "Ted Koppel, 26-year anchor of ABC's Nightline, will present this year's CJF Honorary Tribute posthumously to Peter Jennings. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12298.jpg

Image with caption: "Seamus O'Reagan, CTV National News correspondent, will host the CJF 15th Annual Awards Gala. (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Foundation)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20120416_C5962_PHOTO_EN_12348.jpg

For further information:

For media inquiries:
Wendy Kan, Program Manager
416-955-0394 x502
[e-mail]

To purchase a gala table or tickets:
Josh Gurfinkel
416-955-0394 x 503
[e-mail]

The Canadian Journalism Foundation
59 Adelaide Street E., Suite 500
Toronto, ON M5C 1K6