CAJ mentorship program matches 92 journalists with mentors
Press Release
Jul. 29, 2021
The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is pleased to announce the successful applicants of the third round of its Mentorship Program for Journalists.
Over the coming weeks, 92 journalists will learn from mentors working in radio, television, digital, and print publications across the country. This is the highest number of applicants that have been successfully paired since the program launched in Fall 2020, and nearly 40 per cent more than were paired during the CAJ’s last mentorship intake in March.
In this round, for the first time, mentors had the option to select applicants for a one-hour conversation, in addition to taking on mentees for the full six-week mentorship. This allowed for more pairings, and more applicants receiving help with particular projects or the development of specific skills.
“It’s incredible to see leaders from across our industry stepping up to share their time and their skills,” said CAJ president Brent Jolly. “We all know that mentorship is sorely needed in our industry, and the CAJ is incredibly grateful to all the mentors who donate out of their busy schedules to make this program possible.”
The CAJ received 201 applications for this round of its mentorship program. Successful applicants range from journalism students to experienced reporters.
“The CAJ is excited to see what comes out of this latest round of pairings,” said Jolly. “The interest and enthusiasm we’ve seen about this program from all corners of the country is astounding. That’s why we are thrilled to include the mentorship program as a permanent part of our professional development portfolio for members.”
The CAJ board of directors offers a deep, sincere thanks to all the mentors who are generously donating their time.
This year’s mentorship matches include:
Allya Davidson, senior producer at CTV W5
Mrinali Anchan, reporter at CBC News
Jonathan Ventura, media coordinator at the University of Ottawa
Heidi Lee, news editor at The Eyeopener
André Picard, health columnist at the Globe and Mail
Charlotte Carey, web editor/reporter at News1130
Jason Herring, reporter at the Calgary Herald
Andree Lau, managing editor of digital news at CBC
Clara Pasieka, associate producer at CBC
Jeremiah Rodriguez, reporter at CTV News
Greg Colgan, interim editor at The Rocky Mountain Outlook
Cormac O’Brien, associate editor at Narcity Canada
Carlos Osorio, freelance photojournalist
Evan Buhler, photojournalist at The Rocky Mountain Outlook
David Beers, journalism professor and founder of The Tyee
Laurence Brisson-Dubreuil, LJI reporter at The Eastern Door
Sebastian Leck, web writer at CBC, managing editor at Research Money
Zak Vescera, reporter at the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix
Colin D’Mello, Queen’s Park bureau chief at CTV News
Sean Previl, video journalist at Global News
David Common, correspondent and host at CBC’s The National and Marketplace
Mark Kay, freelance writer
Anna Desmarais, video journalist at CBC North
Kimberley Molina, reporter-editor at CBC Ottawa
Eric Bowling, reporter and editor at the Inuvik Drum
David Topping, director of newsletters, Torstar
Rob Csernyik, freelance journalist and MFA student
Prapti Bamaniya, student journalist at Ryerson University
Lucille Haines, editor for Alberta Prime Times
Farah Nasser, evening news anchor at Global Toronto
Sheba Siddiqui, producer at Global News Radio
Ishani Nath, managing editor at Best Health, former senior editor at FLARE
Sahar Ibrahim, editorial manager at Tonal
Yona Harvey, freelance writer at Kingstonist
Amanda Scriver, freelance writer and social media lead
Jason Markusoff, correspondent for Maclean’s
Hamdi Issawi, deputy editor at The Sprawl
Thibault Jourdan, web producer at Radio-Canada
Jonathan Liedtke, self-employed
Jen Gerson, freelance journalist and co-founder of The Line
Meagan Simpson, associate editor at BetaKit
Ethan Lou, freelance journalist
Perushka Gopalkista, freelance writer/editor
Jesse Winter, freelance visual journalist
Kayla MacInnis, student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University
Amy Romer, longform photojournalist
Alex Lupul, student at Loyalist College
Kelly Schovanek, student at Royal Roads University
Spencer Colby, staff photographer and photo editor at The Charlatan
Phillip Blancher, LJI reporter at the Morrisburg Leader
Jordan Heath-Rawlings, host of The Big Story podcast and director of Frequency
Arman Aghbali, associate producer at CBC Radio’s Tapestry
Danielle Orr, intern and reporter at Investigative Journalism Bureau
Shyloe Fagan, student producer at Humber Radio and Media Production
Jon Victor, reporter at The Logic
Teddy Elliott, staff writer at MTL Blog
Karen Ho, senior reporter at Business Insider
Zeahaa Rehman, freelance journalist
Emma Buchanan, reporting fellow at J-Source
Karyn Pugliese, managing editor of investigative at CBC
Ora Cogan, freelance journalist
Charnel Anderson, Northwestern Hub reporter at TVO
Katherine Laidlaw, freelance magazine journalist
Madeline Lines, audio content coordinator at CKUT FM
Sherina Harris, newsletters manager at TorStar
Zoe Tennant, producer at CBC Radio
Claire Sibonney, freelance writer and editor
Murad Hemmadi, correspondent at The Logic
Nicholas Sokic, reporter at Open Jaw
Lu Xu, freelance journalist
Nadia Tchoumi, journalist and executive director of the CABJ
Anna Ashitey, Joan Donaldson Scholar at CBC News
Joshua Azizi, video journalist at CFTK TV
Gabby Taylor, content producer at CHVN
Nicholas Keung, immigration reporter at the Toronto Star
Cassie Apperloo, student at Mohawk College
Jennifer Golletz, reporter at Collingwood Today
Eiad Herera, recent graduate at Concordia University
Omar Sachedina, national affairs correspondent for CTV National News
Andrew Brennan, video journalist / assignment editor at CTV News
Erika Ibrahim, editorial assistant at Apartment613
Nicklas Rieck, student at McGill University
Omayra Issa, journalist and presenter with CBC / Radio-Canada
Abby Neufeld, digital journalist at CTV News Toronto
Kelly Bennett, freelance reporter
Johna Baylon, freelance journalist
Paul Wells, senior writer at Maclean’s
Drew Brown, editor in chief of The Independent
Laura Nelson, freelance journalist
Robyn Doolittle, investigative reporter at the Globe and Mail
Emma McIntosh, Queen’s Park reporter at National Observer
Alexandra Harvey, newsletter producer at the Toronto Star
Sidney Cohen, reporter/editor at CBC
Robyn Smith, editor in chief of The Tyee
Dan Gray, investigative journalist at SaultOnline/ONNTV
Ryan McMahon, Anishinaabe creative, comedian, writer, and podcaster
Manuela Vega, digital producer at the Toronto Star
Odette Auger, Indigenous freelance journalist
Nick Dunne, Northeastern Hub reporter at TVO
Boston Lafferty, student at the University of Victoria
Tara Weber, Western bureau chief for BNN Bloomberg
Michael King, digital journalist / associate producer at Global News
Danielle Neri, research assistant and freelance writer
Donald Higney, student journalist at X University
Daniel Johnson, web reporter at National Post / Ryerson MJ student
Valérie Ouellet, senior data journalist at CBC / Radio-Canada
Rosa Saba, business reporter at the Toronto Star
Emily Follett-Campbell, MA student at Concordia University
India McAlister, associate producer at CBC Kids News
Wendy Cox, B.C. editor at the Globe and Mail
Michael Lo, student at the University of Victoria, journalist at FOCUS
Ian Froese, reporter at CBC Manitoba
Pratyush Dayal, reporter at CBC Saskatoon
William Wolfe-Wylie, senior developer at CBC News
Marie-Hélène Hétu, columnist-researcher at CBC News Montreal
Martin Allen, student at Columbia University
Zi-Ann Lum, federal politics and policy reporter at Politico
Tiffany Lam, producer at Canadaland
Charlotte Alden, print news editor at The Ubyssey
Audrey Neveu, provincial affairs reporter at Radio-Canada Alberta
This autumn, the CAJ will be hosting a live mentorship event for all applicants to the program. Applicants who did not match this time around are strongly encouraged to apply for the next session in September. If you are a journalist interested in mentoring for the next edition of this program please get in touch with us.
The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 1000 members across Canada. The CAJ’s primary roles are public-interest advocacy work and professional development for its members.