CJF J-Talks. Journalism matters.

2018 – 2019 Year in Review

Trust, Truth and Trump May 28, 2019 – TMX Broadcast Centre, Toronto

Margaret Sullivan became The Washington Post’s media columnist in 2016 – the same year Donald Trump was elected president. Since then, she’s cast her critic’s eye across the journalism landscape: from the troubling “conjoined twins” relationship between Trump and Fox News, to the coverage of potential U.S. presidential candidates, to the press- freedom issues surrounding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Her career includes being public editor of The New York Times and the first female editor of The Buffalo News. Join Sullivan for this conversation on U.S. politics and the media with David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail.

Covering Alberta and the West: Election 2019 May 9, 2019 – MobSquad Café (at the Edison), Calgary

With a federal election approaching, editors of five Canadian news organizations discuss their strategies for covering Western Canada. What are the challenges of reporting on key issues and of overcoming perceptions of unbalanced coverage? And does their coverage play a role in the growing sense of political alienation among some Westerners?

This special dinner salon event moderated by Mayor Naheed Nenshi and featuring Kenton Boston, vice-president of news and information, Western Canada, for Corus Entertainment; Lucinda Chodan, vice-president of editorial for Postmedia; David Walmsley, editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail; Irene Gentle, editor of the Toronto Star; and David Skok; editor-in- chief and CEO of The Logic.

Fallout from the Field April 16, 2019 – TD Bank Tower, Toronto

After witnessing the horrors of war, natural disasters or local crime stories, journalists must often cope with emotional trauma, moral quandaries and PTSD. How can reporters—and newsrooms—manage the personal impact of covering stories that involve human cruelty or suffering? How do these experiences shape future reporting?

To discuss these issues, our speakers Anthony Feinstein, University of Toronto psychiatry professor, who is a pioneer in the study of mental health trauma among journalists; Paul Hunter, Washington-based correspondent for CBC News; Peter Akman, investigative correspondent for CTV’s W5; Ioanna Roumeliotis, senior reporter with CBC News; and Patrice Roy, host of En Direct on Radio-Canada. The moderator is a three-time Toronto Star National Newspaper Award winner Michelle Shephard, now a freelance journalist, author and filmmaker.

The Fight for Truth: Political Journalism in 2019 April 9, 2019 – National Arts Centre, Ottawa

If journalism is about holding power to account, then journalists on both sides of the border are on it. But how does the political climate in each country affect reporting and coverage—or does it?

Join our speakers: Vassy Kapelos, host of Power & Politics on CBC News, Sarah Kendzior, St. Louis, Missouri-based op-ed columnist for The Globe and Mail and co-host of the Gaslit Nation podcast,; and Tonda MacCharles, senior reporter with the Toronto Star's Ottawa Bureau, in conversation with Alison Smith, host of Perspective with Alison Smith on CPAC.

Fending off Threats Ahead of the Federal Election February 28, 2019 – Radio-Canada, Montreal

If the U.S. and French elections—and those of other countries—are anything to go by, we’re just as vulnerable to manipulation by external forces ahead of our own federal election. Are we prepared for what could lie ahead, including politically driven misinformation and propaganda? More importantly, what can voters do to combat these forces and what can news media do to gain public trust? Grégoire Lemarchand, deputy editor- in-chief and head of social networks at Agence France-Presse, and Stéphane Perrault, chief electoral officer of Elections Canada, share their insights in a conversation with Anne-Marie Dussault, host of Radio- Canada's 24/60.

Setting the Standard for Cannabis Journalism February 7, 2019 – TMX Broadcast Centre, Toronto

The cannabis industry’s influence is far-reaching, affecting public health and safety, policy-making, the economy and talk of a ‘pot-com’ bubble. As various issues get worked out post-legalization, what challenges do journalists face in informing the public in a responsible manner?

Join our speakers focussed on cannabis coverage: Megan Henderson, executive producer of TheGrowthOp.com; Manisha Krishnan, senior writer and host with VICE Canada; Armina Ligaya, business reporter with The Canadian Press; Mark Rendell, reporter with The Globe and Mail; and moderator Vanmala Subramaniam, business reporter with the Financial Post. Driving Innovation in Media January 31, 2019 – TMX Broadcast Centre, Toronto

In journalism today, the only constant is constant change. The need to innovate is greater than ever before, as powerful new tech tools alter the way we connect and communicate.

Join two of journalism’s top innovators and changemakers in a discussion about the challenges and opportunities in driving news innovation. Aron Pilhofer is the James B. Steele Chair in Journalism Innovation at Temple University in Philadelphia. Earlier, Pilhofer was a reporter for the New York Times and executive editor, digital at The Guardian. Inga Thordar is executive editor of CNN Digital International, overseeing all international news, sport and programming teams. Previously, Thordar was a senior editor on BBC World, responsible for TV and digital production teams around the globe.

The conversation was moderated by Kathy Vey, executive producer of digital with TVO. Guardian of the News November 29, 2018 – Isabel Bader Theatre, Toronto

Over a 20-year career as editor of the British daily The Guardian, Alan Rusbridger oversaw the publication of ground-breaking journalism: the WikiLeaks story, the phone-hacking scandal, the mass government surveillance as disclosed by U.S National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden. As he managed the transition from national print newspaper to news site with a strong global online readership, he championed free access and strong journalistic standards. But decisions made along the way were not without their challenges and controversies. Join Rusbridger for this conversation with Irene Gentle, editor of the Toronto Star, and for the Canadian launch of his book Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now.

How Trump Got Rich: The Real Story November 8, 2018 – TMX Broadcast Centre, Toronto

With her bombshell New York Times front-page story, investigative reporter Susanne Craig helped debunk President Trump’s claim of being a self-made billionaire. For more than a year, Craig and two colleagues followed an unwieldy paper trail, documenting deliberate tax maneuvers that increased the wealth Trump received from his parents, including acts of outright fraud. Craig discussed the complexities of reporting on Trump, money and politics in this conversation with investigative journalist Julian Sher.

Ronan Farrow: Power, Media and Politics November 4, 2018 – St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto

Beginning with last year’s explosive Pulitzer Prize-winning New Yorker investigation on movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual assault, and continuing with his recent reports exposing similar allegations against CBS head Les Moonves, Ronan Farrow has become a leading journalist in exposing how influential figures in media and politics abuse power and hide sexual misconduct. For his role in exposing Weinstein and helping spur the #MeToo movement, Farrow was the recipient of the 2018 CJF Special Citation for excellence in journalism.

In Farrow’s bestselling book, War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence, the former diplomat pivots to a different realm of power, that of America’s influence abroad. Hear Farrow’s take on the challenge of changing cultures and power dynamics, in conversation with Robyn Doolittle, investigative reporter with The Globe and Mail. A Citizen’s Guide to Real News: Why Trusted Local News Matters October 20, 2018 – Western University, London

Enough about fake news. What about the real news? What do citizens of our communities need to know about news that matters? In the midst of the dual crises now challenging journalism and the news industry- dwindling trust and decimated local newsrooms struggling to cover their communities - a special Western University Homecoming speaker's session and panel examines why trusted news matters to the citizens of our democracy.

State of Media: Survival Strategies in the Age of Misinformation October 17, 2018 – TMX Broadcast Centre, Toronto

Journalists and media organizations around the world are under siege from misinformation fed by social media and an antagonistic U.S. president. How should journalism and democracy respond to this dual challenge? How can journalists ensure truth overrides false information? How should they respond to public attacks and historic levels of mistrust? At the same time, many media are seeking sustainable business models and some are asking: can blockchain technology provide security for the future of journalism?

A wide-ranging conversation on these issues with prominent journalism thought leaders: Jeff Jarvis, director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York; Jay Rosen, associate journalism professor at New York University; and Vivian Schiller, CEO of the Civil Foundation, which makes philanthropic grants in support of journalism and upholds the ethics of Civil, a blockchain-based platform that supports a global community of quality newsrooms. This conversation was moderated by Mathew Ingram, chief digital writer with the Columbia Journalism Review. Going Local or Going Niche: New News Opportunities October 4, 2018 – Google Headquarters, Toronto

Where some see pitfalls in the media business, others see opportunity. So it is with Village Media, which is expanding its hyper local Ontario online news sites across smaller cities during a general decline in community newspapers. So it is, too, with media startup The Logic, a subscription news site focused on Canada's innovation economy — and whose founder believes the future of local news may lie in more creative uses of technology. This overview of the media landscape and how both established and new players are helping to reshape it. Speakers included Jeff Elgie, CEO of Village Media; April Lindgren, Velma Rogers Research Chair and principal investigator for the Local News Research Project at the Ryerson School of Journalism; and David Skok, CEO and editor-in-chief of The Logic, in a conversation led by Sonya Fatah, editor- in-chief of J-Source and assistant journalism professor at Ryerson University.

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