Those spearheading journalism initiatives in Peterborough, Ont. say now is a critical time to support emerging journalists.
In a push to cultivate highly-trained journalism graduates, Canadian media company Corus Entertainment, parent company of Global News, is presenting financial awards to higher education programs across the country.
Alexandra Henderson, vice-president of Global News local stations, was joined by Ron Kronstein, manager of news at Global News in Peterborough, in presenting $16,000 to Trent University’s evolving journalism program on Tuesday afternoon.
“At this very interesting time in history, so to speak, it’s more important than ever to invest in good, solid journalism,” said Kronstein.
“I’d like young people to realize that journalism is still a very, very important craft and career. It’s certainly not dying at all. It’s growing, as a matter of fact.”
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Ihor Junyk, associate professor of cultural and english studies at Trent University, has seen journalism’s growth first hand.
“Just this past weekend, we did three days at the university fair, and we were overwhelmed by interest in the program,” said Junyk.
“It seems that there’s a lot of excitement, a lot of interest about journalism out there, and we’re happy to be part of the training for the next generation of journalists and creative writers that are going to be coming up.”
This kind of push gives journalism students confidence in their craft, said dean of Trent University’s GTA campus, Scott Henderson.
“It’s an affirmation that what they’re doing is the right thing,” said Henderson. “They’re providing something back to both their community, to their province, to the country, to the world, and they’re seeking truth.
“I think it’s a perception that journalism somehow is a dying trade, yet we know there’s more and more content everyday.”
The money given by Corus will be divided into bursaries to support Trent’s fourth-year journalism students in their co-op. The program will be taught out of Trent University’s Durham campus, in conjunction with Durham College.