Apply for the 2018 J-Source/CWA Canada reporting fellowship
OPPORTUNITY: J-Source/CWA Canada reporting fellowship
Deadline for applications: April 20, 2018
Has the journalism profession become a more inclusive? More women, transgender and gender diverse people are entering journalism schools than ever — but has that translated into jobs?
J-Source wants to undertake an ambitious survey of newsrooms, journalism faculty positions, and other journalism workplaces across Canada to find out what strides women, transgender and gender diverse journalists have made. And we are hiring a reporting fellow to help us do it.
This survey will provide crucial information about the representation of women, transgender and gender diverse people in Canadian journalism workplaces, and look in depth at the complexities of the workplace, including promotional paths, length of employment and the kind of jobs women, transgender and gender diverse people hold.
This survey will also provide a benchmark that our industry can look to as managers seek to improve hiring practices, and that J-Source can return to measure progress.
Fellowship objectives
The successful candidate will undertake, with the assistance of J-Source’s editorial staff, a comprehensive survey of gender representation in newsrooms across Canada. They will produce a final report about the results, which could take the form of: a long feature; several shorter stories; a podcast; a video; or any combination of multimedia and text. They will also help J-Source staff plan a panel on gender representation in Canadian newsrooms to coincide with the launch of the report.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for a current student or recent graduate who is passionate and interested in gender equity and journalism.
Potential applicants should:
- Be either a current student in any discipline or have completed school within the last 12 months
- Have experience with research methods
- Have experience doing digital journalism
- Have a few solid short and long features and/or research papers under their belt
- Be interested in gender and labour issues
- Have experience in data journalism
- Have experience with self-directed work
- Be able to meet all deadlines and communicate promptly with editors
The successful applicant can be based anywhere in Canada; candidates will ideally be able to demonstrate a proven track record working remotely with editors at other publications.
We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply for this position.
The approximate starting date for the fellow will be mid to late May. The candidate will be expected to meet remotely or in person with J-Source’s editorial staff once a week and provide updates on their work. Our expectation is that the final report be completed by the end of 2018.
The fellow will be offered a contract that includes payment of $2,500, to be paid on a schedule upon completion of stages of the project.
We thank the CWA Canada for its financial support for this position. The reporting fellow will report directly to J-Source’s managing editor and editor-in-chief. No CWA staff or members will be involved in any editorial decisions made by the fellow or J-Source editorial staff. The fellow will have complete editorial independence to pursue stories within the parameters of the fellowship.
How to apply
Please send a cover letter, a resume, references and your clips to H.G. Watson, J-Source’s managing editor, at hgwatson@j-source.ca with the subject line “CWA Fellowship 2018” by midnight Eastern Time, April 20, 2018. We will contact candidates shortlisted for an interview.
H.G. Watson was J-Source's managing editor from 2015 to 2018. She is a journalist based in Toronto. You can learn more about her at hgwatson.com.