Across Canada in the last 15 years, more than 500 local newsrooms have closed in nearly 350 communities. Communities are on the frontlines and at this critical time, local journalism merits special attention.
Today, the Michener Award and Rideau Hall Foundations (MAF and RHF) responded to this need with a new Fellowship designed to amplify the ecosystems of small Canadian newsrooms; recognize their critical role in keeping communities connected; providing a diversity of voices and opinions; and maintaining their journalistic independence.
“The Norman Webster Fellowship honours the legacy of the late Canadian journalist Norman Webster,” said Margo Goodhand, President of the MAF. “It is my hope that this Fellowship inspires small newsrooms across the country to think big about the stories they can tell. Stories that will be meaningful to their communities and help create the kind of change that has been celebrated by the Michener Awards, Canada’s most prestigious journalism award, for the past 50-plus years. This is a unique opportunity for the Michener Awards to deepen its impact, celebrating and investing in the kind of journalism that has the power to change lives. I’m so excited to see what the first round of nominations brings.”
The Norman Webster Fellowship is valued at up to $125,000 and will provide the winning news organizations (1 in English and 1 in French) with a unique opportunity to not only produce a groundbreaking story but also allow early career journalists to hone their craft.
“On behalf of our entire family, as well as the Eric T. Webster and R. Howard Webster Foundations, I’m thrilled to see my father’s legacy preserved in a way that will have a positive and lasting impact on Canadian journalism. Providing newsrooms, in both English and French, with the opportunity to take on something they wouldn’t have otherwise been able to do, is a perfect way to honour my father’s curiosity and deep commitment to always finding an interesting story to tell,” said Derek Webster, Trustee, Eric T. Webster Foundation.
Born in Summerside, PEI, Norman Webster was a renowned foreign correspondent, columnist and Editor of both the Globe and Mail and the Montreal Gazette. His work and legacy are revered among his peers, for which he received the Order of Canada in 1995. Named as president of the Michener Award Foundation in 1998, he was also posthumously awarded the Michener-Baxter Award for Exceptional Service to Canadian Journalism in 2022.
The Norman Webster Fellowship was announced at a new conference hosted in Charlottetown by the RHF and the Michener Awards called Putting the Local back in Local News. The conference welcomed policymakers, foundations, and representatives of local media from Haida Gwaii to PEI to discuss the future sustainability of local news and share innovative practices within the ecosystem.
“Strengthening our democratic foundation – core to the RHF’s mandate – is a non-partisan priority that benefits all Canadians. Local newsrooms play a vital role in fostering informed, engaged and connected communities, and are a key lever for this work. Now more than ever, it is critical that we all act to safeguard and reimagine the sustainability of local news.” said Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. “This new conference, along with the Norman Webster Fellowship, will help fuel the innovative approaches needed to revitalize local news and small, community newsrooms.”
A report will be published after the conference, in collaboration with the Public Policy Forum. Nominations for the new Norman Webster Fellowship will open in December. To receive more information about the Michener Awards, sign up for the newsletter: https://www.michenerawards.ca/connect/
