2017-2018 William Southam Journalism Fellowships now open

TORONTO, ON--(Marketwired - February 08, 2017) - Applications for the 2017/2018 William Southam Journalism Fellowship for Canadian Journalists are now open. Please visit http://www.masseycollege.ca/fellowships-and-programs/journalism-fellows/ for more information and to apply online.

William Southam Journalism Fellowships are offered to outstanding Canadian journalists, in mid-career who are selected to spend a year at the College. The objective of the fellowship program is to encourage improvement in journalism by offering to qualified men and women an opportunity to broaden their horizons by studying in a university setting.

Four fellowships for Canadian journalists are awarded annually, tenable for one academic year, September to May, at the University of Toronto. The fellowships available are as follows: the St. Clair Balfour Fellowship, the Webster/ McConnell Fellowship, the CBC/Radio-Canada Fellowship and the McLaughlin Centre Fellowship (for science journalists). Fellows are selected by a committee appointed by the President of the University and the Master of Massey College. They are chosen for professional competence and future potential as effective and responsible journalists.

Applicants must have at least five years' experience and be full-time news or editorial employees with Canadian newspapers, news services, radio, television, or magazines. Freelance journalists who have been working consistently in the media over a five-year period will also be considered.

Fellows are free to enroll in any graduate or undergraduate courses and use the full facilities of the University. There are no educational prerequisites for a Fellowship; nor do Fellows receive credits or degrees for work done during the year.

In a parallel, extra-curricular program, the Journalism Fellows meet regularly in informal seminars to discuss contemporary issues with personalities from a wide variety of professions.

To obtain the maximum benefit from the program, the applicants agree to refrain from professional work, including writing and broadcasting, during the period of the Fellowship. Personal holidays or travel is restricted to University holiday periods. Those selected are appointed Fellows-at-Large at the University of Toronto, with all the privileges of a Senior Resident at Massey College, the graduate college within the University of Toronto.

The Fellowships underwrite: (1) for the eight-month university year, eight months of the Fellow's regular gross annual salary at time of selection, but limited to $4,900 per month, a rate equivalent to $58,800 gross a year. The first monthly instalment will commence with an end-September payment and conclude with the end-April payment; (2) all university fees; (3) travel expenses up to the cost of economy air fare to and from Toronto for the Fellow and family; and (4) travel expenses for organized trips during the program.