The CIBC Digital Fellowship for Emerging Black Journalists

The Walrus provokes new thinking and sparks conversation on matters vital to Canada. As a registered charity, we publish independent, fact-based journalism across platforms; produce national, ideas-focused events, including our flagship series The Walrus Talks; and train emerging storytellers through our fellowship program. The Walrus is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens.

We are currently accepting applications for the CIBC Digital Fellowship for Emerging Black Journalists. This paid, sixteen-month fellowship is a digital production opportunity for early-career journalists who identify as Black.

An early-career Black Canadian journalist will be trained in the skills and tools required to conceptualize, produce, and share storytelling across a variety of digital formats and channels. To qualify as an early-career journalist, candidates must have no more than three years of professional experience in journalism or related fields.

The successful candidate will be curious, collaborative, and committed to telling stories that contribute to Canada’s conversation. Focused mentorship will be provided, which will involve ongoing discussion of the digital fellow’s professional goals and needs, and will prioritize the development of a well-rounded digital skill set.

The digital fellow will report to the digital production manager but will engage closely with other departments across the organization to produce and support our digital content and products. This is a full-time, non-editorial position, and it is not intended for full-time students. This position is based in Toronto, where our office is located, or can be remote from anywhere in Canada.

This fellowship is supported by the CIBC Foundation, which serves CIBC’s commitment to creating a world without limits to ambition.

Core Responsibilities

• Produce and schedule social media content in alignment with brand voice and engagement goals
• Pitch, script, edit, and promote short-form video content (e.g., for TikTok, YouTube Shorts)
• Draft, format, and proofread email newsletters
• Participate in education and networking events, such as fact-checking, editing, and career development workshops

Depending on the skills, experience, and interests of the successful candidate, responsibilities may also include:

• Receive training on and plan, launch, report on, and optimize digital campaigns
• Ideate, wireframe, and produce digital designs, formats, and templates
• Collaborate with writers, editors, fact-checkers, and designers, as well as coordinate with other departments to successfully execute events, increase audience engagement, and fundraise to produce, publish, and support digital content

Qualifications

• Experience in creating and managing social media content across multiple platforms
• Experience in editing and producing short-form video content
• Demonstrate strong knowledge of digital journalism and storytelling
• Strong organizational, communication, and writing skills, with attention to detail
• A “can-do” and learning-oriented mindset
• Desire to work both independently and within a team environment
• Audio editing and production is an asset, but not required
• Knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite is an asset, but not required
• Knowledge of WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is an asset, but not required
• Web and responsive design is an asset, but not required

Compensation and Benefits

This sixteen-month position pays $800 per week for a thirty-five-hour workweek. The successful candidate will receive ten days of annual vacation, plus statutory holidays. We also have half-day summer Fridays and a week off over the winter holiday break.

The Walrus supports hybrid and remote work, and offers a collaborative office environment in downtown east Toronto. A laptop will be provided, along with a free subscription to the print or digital edition of The Walrus, and a deeply discounted rate for family and friends.

Please send a cover letter, résumé, and three samples of your digital content and/or journalism work to careers@thewalrus.ca with the following subject line: “CIBC Digital Fellowship for Emerging Black Journalists: [your name].” The deadline for applications is 11:59 p.m. ET on August 8, 2025. The fellowship is expected to begin in September 2025. In your cover letter, please include answers to the following questions:

• What are your strongest skills that are relevant for this fellowship? How have you applied these skills in the past, and what was the end result?
• What is a specific goal you hope to accomplish by the end of the fellowship?
• What publications do you think are doing exciting things online? How and why?

The Walrus supports diversity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace as we work to fulfill our educational mandate. We value employment equity and strongly encourage applications from people with disabilities, people of all genders, and the LGBTQ2+ community. If you require any accommodation during the recruitment process, please let us know by email at careers@thewalrus.ca.Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada to qualify. Only applicants selected for an interview will be contacted and asked to provide references. Thank you for your interest.