Pandemic puts hostile environment training bursaries for freelance journalists on hold.
LONDON, ON, April 13, 2020 /CNW/ - The Forum Freelance Fund (FFF) 2020 competition for bursaries to help freelance journalists attend hostile environment training has been put on hold until later in the year, because of problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The FFF bursary competition is run annually by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, an educational charity concerned with the physical and mental wellbeing of journalists.
"We decided to press the pause button," said Forum president Cliff Lonsdale, "because of the disruption of courses and the extra load all journalists are carrying at this time of worldwide crisis. We will re-start the competition when things are getting back to normal."
The decision was taken in consultation with the independent panel of judges that will make this year's selections. Thirty-five Canadian freelancers or foreign freelancers working for Canadian media have been helped by the fund in previous years. Multiple freelancers win bursaries each year.
The Forum indicated the earliest date the competition was likely to resume would be in the fall. If it is not possible to re-start it before the end of the year, two competitions may be scheduled in 2021.
A separate competition, for the single-winner Portenier Human Rights Bursary, scheduled to open in May, is also likely to be postponed. The bursary is also for hostile environment training. It is open to freelance journalists and independent documentary-makers of any nationality with significant projects focused on human rights abuses, is also for hostile environment training.
Both competitions are run in association with the Rory Peck Trust (RPT), a UK-based charity for freelancers. The Forum and RPT are both members of the ACOS Alliance, an unprecedented coalition of news organizations, freelance journalist associations and press freedom organizations working together to champion safe and responsible journalistic practices for freelance and local journalists.
The FFF bursaries are sponsored by CBC News and supported by Radio-Canada and individual donors. The Forum in general is supported by The Globe and Mail and Cision.
Our thanks to Cision for supporting this announcement.
SOURCE Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma
Please see the Canadian Journalism Forum website http://www.journalismforum.ca or contact Jane Hawkes, Executive Producer, Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, 1-519 852-4946, [email protected]
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