The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) has announced the winners of its annual awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in journalism. W5/CTV News received the CJF Dr. Eric Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism in the large-media category, which honors organizations with more than 50 newsroom employees. The award was presented at a ceremony held at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on June 10, 2026.
W5's Award-Winning Investigation
W5 was recognized for its investigative piece titled Sleeping with the Enemy, an explosive report that exposed a world of misogynistic criminality perpetrated by men against the women they claim to love. The investigation demonstrated originality, courage, independence, accuracy, social responsibility, accountability, and diversity, resulting in a positive impact on the communities served.
Taproot Publishing's Small-Media Triumph
In the small-media category, Taproot Publishing Inc., a digital publication focused on the Edmonton region, was honored for its 2025 Election Project covering the Edmonton municipal election. The project centered on the Taproot Survey, which prioritized issues that mattered most to voters rather than the electoral horse race.
Other Notable Awards
The inaugural CJF Hinton Award for Excellence in AI Safety Reporting was presented to Alexios Mantzarlis, co-founder of Indicator, an online publication dedicated to exposing digital deception. The $10,000 award, named after Nobelist Geoffrey Hinton, recognizes exceptional journalism that critically examines the safety implications of artificial intelligence.
The CJF Award for Climate Solutions Reporting, sponsored by Intact Financial Corporation, was awarded to The Narwhal for On solid ice: the plan to refreeze the Arctic. Reported by Chloe Williams and photographer Gavin John, the piece explored disappearing sea ice and its impacts on Inuit communities, as well as an ambitious scientific idea to thicken the ice.
The $5,000 Landsberg Award, celebrating exceptional coverage of women's equality issues, went to Emma Jarratt of the Investigative Journalism Bureau. Jarratt's investigations challenged power structures that put marginalized women at risk, including a multiyear probe into sexual misconduct by Canadian lawyers and a forensic year-long project documenting every killing or suspicious death of a woman in Canada.
Event Highlights
The CJF Awards evening brought together more than 550 journalists, media executives, and business leaders from across Canada to celebrate journalistic achievements of the past year. The event highlighted the importance of quality journalism in today's media landscape.
