Former ambassador Ken Taylor to honour The New York Times at 16th Annual CJF Awards

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2013 /CNW/ - Ken Taylor , former Canadian ambassador to Iran, will present this year's Canadian Journalism Foundation Honorary Tribute to The New York Times. The presentation will take place as part of the 16^th Annual CJF Awards on June 13 at The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. Jill Abramson , executive editor of the Times, will accept the tribute on behalf of the editorial staff.

The CJF Honorary Tribute recognizes a media luminary or organization that has made an impact on the international journalistic stage. Past honourees include Canadians Peter Jennings , anchor and senior editor of ABC's World News Tonight; Robert MacNeil , news anchor and co-creator of The MacNeil/Lehrer Report; Morley Safer , CBS News correspondent; and Graydon Carter , editor of Vanity Fair.

The award recognizes the Times's reporters for the leading role they play in inspiring better journalism the world over. "It will be a privilege to present the Honorary Tribute to such a great institution and a premier newspaper," says Taylor.

In 1959, Taylor joined the Canadian Foreign Service, where assignments took him to Guatemala, Detroit, Pakistan, London, Ottawa, Tehran and New York. He resigned from the diplomatic service in 1984 to work in the private sector and now lives in New York. After his return from Iran as Canadian Ambassador during the revolution, he received the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal and the Order of Canada for his leading role in the rescue of six American diplomats from Tehran during the hostage crisis.

The CJF Awards is the night when Canada's top newsmakers meet Canada's top newspeople. More than 400 of the country's business and media elite will celebrate excellence in journalism and honour those who have made significant contributions to journalism throughout their careers.

This year's Awards will be hosted by Amanda Lang , senior business correspondent for CBC news and co-anchor of The Lang and O'Leary Exchange.

At the awards, the CJF will present the Lifetime Achievement Award, the Excellence in Journalism Award - awarded in two categories, large media and small media - the Greg Clark Award, the Tom Hanson Photojournalism Award, the William Southam Journalism Fellowships, and the Atkinson Fellowship in Public Policy and The Martin Wise Goodman Nieman Canadian Fellowship at Harvard University.

For more information, visit our CJF Awards page. #cjfawards

The Canadian Journalism Foundation thanks the following organizations for their support of the CJF Awards: BMO Financial Group; Labatt; Accenture; RBC; Waste Management Canada; and Postmedia. Thank you also to CBC News, CNW, National Post , The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star for their in-kind support.

About The Canadian Journalism Foundation
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in journalism by celebrating outstanding journalistic achievement through an annual awards program; by operating journalism websites, J-Source.ca (English) and ProjetJ.ca (French), in co-operation with the country's leading journalism schools; and by organizing events that facilitate dialogue among journalists, business people, government officials, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society; and by fostering opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

SOURCE Canadian Journalism Foundation