Indiegraf, a platform for independent publishers and journalists, is the inaugural recipient of the Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF)-Facebook Journalism Project Digital News Innovation Award.
The award celebrates initiatives that power journalism’s future by recognizing news organizations that advance the quality of digital journalism.
‘We had no idea how fast Indiegraf would take off when we launched early in the pandemic, but it’s now very clear that entrepreneurial journalists are eager to collaborate to fill gaps in community news,” says Erin Millar, CEO and co-founder of Indiegraf. “This award, and acknowledgment from our industry, is so encouraging.”
Since launching in spring 2020, Indiegraf has helped 34 news outlets across North America grow their audience and revenue. Indiegraf helps journalist-entrepreneurs launch digital news outlets and drive revenue from readers to empower homegrown journalism.
“Even in a strong field of contenders, sometimes there’s one application that stands out from the rest,” says jury chair Susan Harada, associate professor of journalism at Carleton University’s School of Journalism and Communication. “For the jury, it was Indiegraf. Its work — powered by a public-spirited desire to provide meaningful local journalism to Canadians — is underpinned by the foundational belief that journalism exists for the greater good.”
This new award promotes the work of Canadian startups, local and national news outlets, as well as supports new initiatives and projects. Innovation can come in a wide range, including new formats for audiences, new storytelling techniques, data-driven storytelling, new digital products produced by the newsroom, community involvement in story development or partnerships and team approaches to reporting and producing stories.
The award will be recognized at the CJF Awards virtual ceremony on June 9 at 7 p.m. ET. Sign up to watch the free online event and view the sponsorship opportunities.
