Intake for applications for the 2023 Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellowship is now open.

The 2023 fellowship will fund a working journalist (or journalists) to develop a well-substantiated, long-form piece of journalism to shed light on a subject of importance to British Columbians.

In the spirit of supporting a healthy democracy with a thriving journalistic community, Janet Austin, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (pictured), with the support of the Government House Foundation and in partnership with the Jack Webster Foundation, is pleased to open this next session of the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellowship.

It is often the dream of many journalists to have the time and other resources to produce in-depth coverage of important issues. However, budget cutbacks have become a reality for most newsrooms and long-form journalism requires significant resources.

The Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellowship provides funding to encourage and enable journalists to go above and beyond their typical level of coverage so some of the under-reported but crucial challenges of the day receive the deep, complex storytelling deserved by the citizens of B.C.

Francesca Fionda, an award-winning investigative and data journalist, was selected as the 2022 Fellow. Her work, Bracing for Disasters, a multi-part series to be published in The Tyee starting on April 3, 2023, explores the gaps in support for evacuees of climate disasters in British Columbia.

“I am so inspired by the work of Francesca Fionda, the first Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellow,” Austin said. “With the support of the fellowship, Francesca had the ability to report vital stories of British Columbians on a meaningful scale. This is a wonderful opportunity for any B.C.-based journalist to explore complex, important reporting, and I encourage all inspired journalists to apply for the 2023 intake.”

Beginning April 18, journalists in various stages of their careers (emerging, returning or experienced) can apply for a fellowship with a monetary award of as much as $25,000 to research, produce and publish a project supported by a committed publishing partner.

The subject matter must be clearly tied to British Columbia, its people and communities. The content may be written for print or digital publishing, or may be multimedia such as a video and/or a podcast. As of 2023, the Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellowship is committed to delivering the annual fellowships for the next two years.

“The Lieutenant Governor’s BC Journalism Fellowship provides an invaluable opportunity for journalists to delve deeply into complex and important issues, to pursue stories that might otherwise go untold, and to produce in-depth reporting that is essential for a healthy democracy,” said Gillian Shaw, chair of the Jack Webster Foundation.

“At a time when democracy is facing increasing challenges around the globe, we are grateful for the lieutenant governor’s leadership in supporting journalism, and we encourage journalists to put forward their proposals for this fellowship opportunity.”

Application intake opened April 18, with the deadline to apply being midnight (Pacific time), June 4. Recipient(s) will be announced in summer 2023.

Details regarding eligibility and requirements for application can be found online.

e-KNOW

Article Share