Greg Clark Award

ennifer Bieman, a multimedia journalist with the St. Thomas Times-Journal in St. Thomas, Ont., is th 2017 winner of the Greg Clark Award for early-career journalists. The CJF selected Bieman for her proposal to explore how the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall and its counterpart in Alberta, the Office of the Fire Commissioner, conduct investigations. Read about her experience.

INSIGHT. EXPERIENCE. ACCESS. CONNECTIONS. WHAT’S YOUR ISSUE?

Greg Clark

The Greg Clark Award offers journalists early in their career a chance to go behind the scenes and meet key decision-makers on their beats.

The award was created in memory of one of Canada’s greatest journalists – a war correspondent, an avid outdoorsman, a humourist, but above all, a great reporter who excelled at storytelling.

It’s an award that’s unique among Canadian journalism, one that’s designed to offer working journalists a chance to gain insight and meet key decision-makers on their beats. The successful applicant(s) will get an opportunity to spend up to a week observing the inner workings of an organization not usually accessible to the working journalist. The award addresses the need for broader awareness and exposure of the increasing complexity of issues and institutions journalists cover in day to day reportage.

Successful applicants will:

• Spend up to a week observing the inner workings of an organization not usually accessible to the working journalist.
• Receive $5,000 for travel and accommodation expenses, and incidentals, with unused funds to be converted into a stipend.• Be recognized at the annual CJF Awards on June 8, 2017 in Toronto.

Criteria

  • Applications will be welcomed from Canadian journalists who have been employed for one to five years and are employed by, under contract to, or freelancing on the news and editorial side of regularly published newspapers and periodicals, TV and radio news broadcasters, and online publications.
  • Applicants must agree that any information gathered is off-the-record unless the sponsoring organization agrees otherwise. There may be an opportunity to pitch stories to specific media outlets together with the sponsoring organization.
  • Successful applicants will write a brief summary of their experience and provide photos/video upon completion of their professional development opportunity to be posted on the CJF website.

How to Apply

  • Submit a detailed proposal of no more than two pages outlining how you’d like to use this professional development opportunity to expand knowledge of your beat. Explain how the internship will help you in your daily work.
  • Provide links to two examples of your beat work.
  • Include your resume.
  • Submit a proposed budget for all travel and accommodation expenses, and incidentals (meals, public transit/taxis) up to a maximum of $5,000.
  • Include at least one letter of recommendation from a relevant employer.

The jury will be looking for innovative proposals from journalists interested in expanding their knowledge and understanding of issues rather than their reporting skills.

All arrangements for the award assignment will be made in consultation with award winners. The successful applicant(s) will have their expenses covered for any travel and accommodation costs.
This award closed Feb. 24, 2017.

For information, contact programs@cjf-fjc.ca