CJF names Emerging News Voices trainees

TORONTO, Sept. 1, 2026 /CNW/ -- The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) today announced the cohort for the Emerging News Voices Program. The six-month training and capacity-building program is designed to empower independent online news creators and lean digital news startups to establish sustainable frameworks for online reporting, audience growth and diverse revenue streams.

The program, with support from the Google News Initiative, received 54 applications from news creators and news organizations across the country. From this highly competitive pool, 20 creator-journalists and media organizations were selected. The cohort represents the quality and diversity of Canada's creator-led journalism outlets, including independent digital publications, non-profit investigative journalism units, hyperlocal newsrooms, independent creator-journalists and topic-specialized publications.

Created for emerging Canadian news content creators, the CJF program consists of virtual workshops with industry experts, peer learning, as well as coaching sessions wherein participants benefit from real-world knowledge designed to help them expand their existing audiences and platforms.

"Coming off the success of last year's NextGen Creator-Journalist program, we have seen firsthand the positive impact digital news creators have on the wider Canadian journalism ecosystem," says Natalie Turvey, president and executive director of the CJF.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how they scale their organizations and reach their communities in innovative ways."

Participants who successfully complete the program are eligible for up to $5,000 to support projects that grow audiences, diversify revenue, or integrate AI products and other digital tools into their workflows.

"At the Google News Initiative, we are committed to empowering the next generation of journalists," says Cristina Caballero, news partner manager at Google Canada. "By supporting the CJF Emerging News Voices Program, we aim to provide independent creators with the digital tools and business strategies they need to build sustainable news platforms and continue delivering high-quality information to Canadians."

Adds CJF co-chair Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media Inc.: "Independent creators and local outlets are driving some of the most dynamic, impactful journalism in Canada. Through this program, the CJF is helping to ensure these newsrooms don't just survive, but build the business frameworks and digital tools needed to thrive over the long term."

The selected participants are:

Afros in tha City, a monthly magazine producing cultural journalism and local stories for Black, African and Caribbean diaspora communities;

Antler River Media Co-operative, a local news site reporting on community events and concerns of residents in London, Ont., focused on amplifying voices absent from mainstream media;

Broken Ice, a newsletter of investigative and accountability journalism focused on figure skating and elite sport;

Cole Bennett/cole.notcole, an independent creator-journalist producing video and written content covering Canadian politics and breaking news stories;

Good Golly Zines, a journalist-led zine and newsletter covering Ottawa's city hall, local municipal affairs and community issues;

Hanan Hammad, an independent health and science journalist with an emerging platform focused on making complex health research, emerging technologies and information accessible to the general public;

Investigative Journalism Bureau, a non-profit newsroom at the University of Toronto's Dalla Lana School of Public producing high-impact journalism on health care, Indigenous community issues, systemic inequities and crime and corruption;

La Dernière Ambulance/The Last Ambulance, a bilingual news organization covering emergency medical services and out-of-hospital emergency care in Quebec, the rest of Canada and internationally;

Lookout Media, a newsletter-first community publication delivering long-form city, food and civic stories to engaged readers in Ottawa and Vancouver;

Mabuhay Canada Media Inc., a Filipino-led digital publication that combines culturally-grounded reporting, practical information and positive representation to community members;

Media LLit, a media-literacy journalism project producing short-form content around how news is made, verified and framed;

Msimulizi Community News, a news platform serving the Swahili-speaking and African diaspora communities through storytelling, cultural preservation and community engagement;

Ricochet Media, a national non-profit outlet publishing rigorous investigative journalism and incisive opinion with a focus on climate change, Indigenous rights as well as corporate and government accountability;

Spinning Forward, a creator-focused weekly newsletter on systemic barriers, mental health, financial issues and career paths for racialized youth in the Greater Toronto Area;

The Canadian Jewish News, a multi-platform organization delivering high-quality journalism that informs, reflects, and connects Jewish communities across the country;

The Peak, an independent local newspaper producing free, on-the-ground community, civic and Indigenous-governance journalism in British Columbia's qathet region;

The Rural Woman Podcast, a first-generation, farmer-hosted interview podcast producing human-interest stories on the lived realities, mental health and gender dynamics of women in agriculture;

The Vagabond, an emerging English language project focused on on-the-ground political, municipal and cultural reporting in Quebec City;

Through Food Society, a grassroots non-profit newsroom that examines broader social, cultural, political and economic issues through a food lens; and

VérifRadar, the first bilingual digital platform dedicated to fact-checking and combatting misinformation in Quebec.

The CJF Emerging News Voices Program is generously supported by the Google News Initiative.

For more information, please visit www.cjf-fjc.ca or contact [email protected].

For details about the Google News Initiative, please visit newsinitiative.withgoogle.com.

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 fellowship 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.

About Google News Initiative

The Google News Initiative offers journalists and publishers of all sizes a range of resources, products, digital expertise and collaborative solutions that spur progress across the news industry. Our partnerships support the advancement of quality journalism and help publishers build stronger and more sustainable business models. To that aim, we're working alongside newsrooms, news startups, researchers and content producers worldwide to build a more sustainable, diverse and innovative news ecosystem – so that everyone, everywhere, has access to reliable information. Learn more about our work, journalist tools, innovation challenges and funding opportunities at newsinitiative.withgoogle.com.

SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation

For further information, contact Natalie Turvey, President and Executive Director, The Canadian Journalism Foundation, [email protected].