CAJ receives $85,000 grant for digital literacy training

OTTAWA, July 30, 2021 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) is delighted to announce it has received a generous grant from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) to develop and deliver a national training and professional development series focused on strengthening the digital literacy skills of Canadians.

The $85,000 grant will support training for post-secondary students on mis/disinformation in every province and territory. Training sessions will begin in December 2021 and continue until early 2023.

"More recently, however, the world's information ecosystem has become poisoned by nefarious actors who have manipulated facts and weaponized online conspiracy theories in order to exploit social division. With the assistance of this transformational grant from CIRA, the CAJ looks forward to developing programs to share with the public the critical thinking skills, and healthy skepticism, that is at the heart of all excellent journalistic work."

As part of the grant, the CAJ will also create a gold-standard research guide that will be available to all Canadians to strengthen their digital literacy skills.

"We know Canadians are very concerned about misinformation online," said Tanya O'Callaghan, vice-president of community investment, policy and advocacy at CIRA. "A recent CIRA poll showed that nine in ten Canadians feel the spread of false information on social media is a major problem. This is why we're proud to support CAJ's important work, and hope it can equip Canadians with the knowledge they need to separate fact from fiction online."

The CAJ looks forward to working with partners, both longstanding and new, in order to ensure this program realizes its fullest potential. If you are interested in partnering with the CAJ in some capacity, please contact [email protected]. 

The CAJ is Canada's largest national professional organization for journalists from all media, representing more than 1000 members across the country. The CAJ's primary roles are to provide high-quality professional development for its members and public-interest advocacy.

SOURCE Canadian Association of Journalists

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