Corus Entertainment Network now offering scholarship programs to empower black journalism students

BY PAUL JUNOR

The announcement on Tuesday, June 1^st that Global News will be offering new scholarships for black students pursuing journalism is truly very exciting.

The announcement was made in a press release by Corus Entertainment Network and can be seen at its website corusent.com. Corus Entertainment Inc (TSX:CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high-quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world  The network has been around since 1999 and its portfolio includes “thirty-three speciality television services, thirty-nine radio stations, fifteen conventional television stations, a suite of digital assets, animation software, technology and media services.”

The impetus for the awarding of these scholarships was influenced by the work of the Canadian Association of Black Journalists (CABJ) and Canadian Journalists of Colour (CJOC). The Diversity, Equity and Inclusive (DEI) Action Plan at Corus was intended to ensure that DEI is reflected in all ranges of its widespread operations.

This is important because “building diverse representation in our industry talent pipeline will mean diverse representation is sustainable for the future at Corus and access to the industry as a whole.”

Qualified black students will be able to attend post-secondary institutions offering journalism anywhere in Canada. In addition, these students will be offered mentoring opportunities with black journalists who are presently employed at Global News.

Ward Smith, Senior Vice-President at Global News stated, “Our organization recognizes that we have a responsibility to increase the representation of black journalists in newsrooms across the country. In continuing this work, we want to encourage black students to pursue post-secondary studies in the field and to ensure they are connected with relatable mentors that can offer support throughout their careers.”

There will be great networks that these black journalist students will be able to  work in across Canada. These include: Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, History Channel, National Geography, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Nickelodeon Canada, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105 and CFOX.

Dave D’Oyen, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Lead (Corus Entertainment) stated. “We need black journalists in newsrooms to amplify and contextualize stories in the community and to paint a picture that is not driven by stereotypes. The scholarship program aims to ensure that black students feel empowered to pursue journalism and are eventually able to elevate issues that are of great concern to the black community.”

There will be an additional scholarship for Black, Indigenous and Racialized (BIR) students, which will be offered in conjunction with the Radio Television Digital News Foundation (RTDNF). Any BIR students who are registered in a recognized journalism program in Canada can apply for this scholarship.

Interested black students can visit Corus at www.corusent.com or check out its social media links: Twitter:@CorusPR,@Globalnews,Facebook:@GlobalNews,Instagram:@Globalnews

There is no doubt that these scholarships will ensure that there will be BIPOC representations in mainstream media right across Canada.