Journalists for Human Rights launches media project in Northern Ontario

TORONTO, May 15, 2013 /CNW/ - Today, Canada's leading media development organization, Journalists for Human Rights, launches the Northern Ontario Initiative, a project to increase Aboriginal Canadians' participation in local and national media.

Working in remote Aboriginal communities over one year, the Northern Ontario Initiative, supported by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Government of Ontario, and Accenture Canada, will provide mentorship and professional journalism training for thirty aspiring journalists, based in remote Aboriginal communities, to produce reports and articles that will be published and broadcast by Aboriginal and mainstream media.

The project will bring Aboriginal community members and mainstream and Aboriginal media together to report on Aboriginal and Northern issues with professionalism, objectivity, and deep contextual understanding.

The project will help strengthen media coverage of Northern Ontario Aboriginal issues by creating a team of local journalists reporting from communities that currently lack local correspondents.

"Journalists for Human Rights is delighted to be partnering with Wawatay Native Communications Society and Aboriginal communities in Ontario on this important initiative," said Rachel Pulfer, Executive Director of Journalists for Human Rights. "We will work with talented young Aboriginal journalists on skills that will enable them to report on issues facing their communities to both Aboriginal and mainstream audiences. This project will build bridges between Aboriginal and mainstream communities, and open up a constructive public conversation on common issues."

"This partnership is a great benefit for everyone concerned, not only for our communities and Wawatay, but for all of Ontario as well," said Michael Metatawabin, Chair of the Board of Wawatay Native Communications Society.  "The opportunity is there for our members to provide stories to other news outlets in the south.  This will allow grassroots perspectives and understandings to be shared, especially as it relates to development in the north."

Journalists for Human Rights (JHR) is Canada's leading media development organization.  JHR helps journalists build their capacity to report ethically and effectively on human rights and governance issues in their communities. In ten years of operation, JHR has trained over 12,000 journalists and their stories have reached over 50 million people.

SOURCE: jhr (Journalists for Human Rights)