CJF announces Climate Solutions Reporting Award finalists

TORONTO, May 8, 2024 /CNW/ – The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is proud to announce its shortlist for the annual CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting that celebrates a journalist or team of journalists whose work shines a spotlight on climate change and innovative solutions. The award is open to work in Canadian print, broadcast or online media.

CJF thanks the generosity of founding award sponsor Intact Financial Corporation for providing the award’s $10,000 prize.

“Helping build resilient communities in the face of climate change is part of Intact’s strategic objectives and roadmap – it is as important as our financial performance. We want to help the communities where we operate thrive and build their ability to face the unexpected,” says Diane Flanagan, Deputy Senior Vice-President of Corporate Affairs and Communications at Intact Financial.

“To inform our approach, we look at the defining trends that are shaping society such as inflation, socio-economic and geopolitical challenges, and the increasing impacts of extreme weather. We thank all journalists for the integral role they play in highlighting these trends and the important work being done to help build resilient communities.”

The three finalists for this year’s award and their stories or series shortlisted are: 

The Tyee, for Bracing for Disasters, a multi-part series by Francesca Fionda exploring what we can learn from climate disaster survivors and what must be done to help evacuees and save lives as climate calamities increase.

As wildfires raged across B.C. last year, it became clearer that the province’s safety nets are not expanding as quickly as the climate crisis. The “Bracing for Disasters” project used data and narrative reporting to identify problems — and surface solutions proposed by actors at all levels. The project team of Fionda, Aldyn Chwelos, Gage Smith, Geena Mortfield, Michael Lo, Christina Gervais, Amber Bear, Emilie Wren and Sean Holman conducted trauma-informed interviews to publish as-told-to stories. The series featured photography by Jen Osborne and Philip McLachlan; digital production and data visualization by Andrew Munroe and data analysis by Jens von Bergmann. David Beer edited the work.

Tobie Lebel of Radio-Canada (télé) – Découverte for Hydrogène : révolution ou mirage?, exploring the role that hydrogen might play in the energy transition. Lebel and director Sylvie Mallard, with project team members Nicholas Chentrier, François Genest and François Dubuc, use humour, side by side with serious analysis, to present the views of experts from research and industry, focusing on Quebec where the government presents green hydrogen as a solution for decarbonization.

Marco Chown Oved of the Toronto Star for ongoing coverage of transformative green technology, exemplified in work such as Four changes to your home to help the planet. Over the past year, Oved, supported by data analyst Ralph Torrie, has reported doggedly on the current technological solutions to climate change, focusing on electric vehicles, heat pumps and solar panels as off-the-shelf products that have so bent the economics of home heating, transportation and generating power that their widespread global adoption is virtually guaranteed, regardless of public policy.

Commenting on all the entries, jury chair Bob Ezrin says:

 “The quality, quantity and variety of submissions we received clearly shows the growing importance of climate solutions reporting across Canada and around the world. This is some of the most important reporting being done, on any beat, anywhere, and the journalists doing this hard, necessary work deserve to be recognized and celebrated.”

All finalists’ story submissions are available on our awards page.

The winner will be announced at the CJF annual awards ceremony on June 12 at the Royal York Hotel. For tickets, tables and sponsorship opportunities, see contact information below or visit the CJF Awards page.

The 2024 CJF Awards are generously supported by CIBC, Rogers Communications, Google News Initiative, Labatt Breweries of Canada, Canadian Medical Association, McCain Foods, MobSquad, Aritzia, BMO Financial Group, Intact, Sobeys, TD Bank Group, CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada Life, Scotiabank, Canadian Bankers Association, FGS Longview Communications, KPMG, RBC, CTV News, Accenture, Aga Khan Development Network, Apple Canada News, The Balsillie Family Foundation, Bennett Jones LLP, Blakes, Canadian Women’s Foundation, CDPQ, Davies, Desjardins, The Globe and Mail, Loblaw Companies Ltd., Mamdani Family Foundation/Zai Mamdani and Rishi Nolan Strategies, Maple Leaf Foods, Power Corporation, Sunnybrook Foundation, Tom’s Place, Toronto Star, and The Woodbridge Company Ltd. In-kind sponsorship is provided by The Canadian Press, Bespoke Audio Visual, MLSE and Porter Airlines.

The jury members are:

Bob Ezrin, O.C. (chair), Music and entertainment producer, educator, serial activist and CJF board member;Naresh Fernandes, editor, Scroll.in;Jean-Marc Fleury, Professeur associé, département d’information et de communication, Université Laval; conseiller principal de la Fédération mondiale des journalistes scientifiques;Wendy Freeman, former CTV News president; andRashida Jeeva, senior vice-president, marketing and communications, WWF-Canada.

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, business people, 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.

Related Links
http://www.cjf-fjc.ca

SOURCE The Canadian Journalism Foundation