Protecting Journalism in 2026: What’s Next

Hi Subscriber First Name,

Welcome to the very first edition of The Globe and Mail Foundation’s newsletter! Thank you for signing up.

The Globe and Mail Foundation launched in fall 2025 with a mission to protect and promote excellence in journalism. Thanks to initial investments from generous individual donors, we’ve designed some exciting and impactful programming, much of which is a direct result of demand from the sector. From safety training workshops for 50 reporters in Ukraine, to training initiatives for emerging photojournalists across Canada, to our inaugural public event, Editing Democracy (see below), 2026 is shaping up to be a busy year. 

Journalism is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. History, as well as lessons from around the world today, tells us we cannot take this for granted. It’s critical that we support the work being done to strengthen independent, ethical journalism practices.

Read on for more about what we are doing to protect the future of journalism, and what we have planned for the first few months of 2026. You can also follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. If you’d like to connect, drop me a line at laura@globeandmailfoundation.com. Happy reading.

Until soon,

Laura Lavie
Executive Director
The Globe and Mail Foundation

Protecting and Promoting Journalism in Ukraine

“The war has changed so much, and the way we cover the war and stay safe is changing with it…If you were covering sports or theatre before the war, now you were a war correspondent.” – Mark MacKinnon, Senior International Correspondent, on The Globe and Mail Foundation’s training for journalists in Ukraine.

Over December 2025 and January 2026, The Globe and Mail Foundation was proud to support the first of a series of training workshops for 50 Ukrainian journalists.

Journalists have, for almost four years, been reporting from dangerous battlefield situations since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Recently, the threat from drones has increased through shifting tactics and fast-evolving technology. Working with Ukraine’s 2402 Foundation (Daily Humanity) and Globe and Mail Senior International Correspondent Mark MacKinnon, The Globe and Mail Foundation provided its first training course focused on drone safety for Ukrainian journalists and media support staff in the region - the first publicly available drone-attack response training of its kind for reporters and journalists working in Ukraine. 

Participants learned critical first aid and evacuation procedures, how to protect themselves and others during a drone attack, and took part in a journalism workshop led by Mark MacKinnon. Ukrainian reporters are finding themselves at the centre of the world’s most technologically sophisticated conflict, under extreme threat. This program is one way of ensuring journalists are equipped to protect their own lives, as well as their colleagues. Read more in our media release, and in an article published by The Globe and Mail.

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Advancing Photojournalism in Canada

The Globe and Mail Foundation has a specific interest in supporting photojournalism. Photojournalists are often the first on the scene to document crises, and likewise, the images they produce are often the first news of major events that the public receives. Documentary photography is an underserved area of reporting, and the number of newsrooms in Canada with dedicated photo desks are few and far between. There is an urgent need to nurture and grow the exceptional talent that is active in this country, support excellence in their practice, and connect them with industry leaders and exposure opportunities – with the goal of creating a strong, well-connected community of Canadian photojournalists.

This month, we launched a six-month training and mentorship program led by New Brunswick-based photographer and educator Chris Donovan. Sixteen participants will meet weekly to hear to develop a long-term photojournalism project of their own, hear from guest photographers and editors, and develop a strong portfolio of work enabling them to pitch and publish their stories. High demand for and interest in the program meant that we received almost 70 applications in early January following our call for submissions.

In early May, the foundation will run a two-day summit for 50 photojournalists across Canada. The Globe Photojournalism Summit will take place from May 1 to May 3 - an action-packed weekend of panel discussions, keynotes, workshops, and professional networking for early- and mid-career documentary photographers.

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Editing Democracy

Wednesday, March 11, 2026 • 7 p.m. ET
The Globe and Mail Centre, Toronto

The Globe and Mail Foundation will be producing a series of events across Canada that speak to media and democracy at large, featuring some of the most respected global voices in journalism. This March, please join us for a timely discussion about the issues, urgencies and opportunities facing major news media in the Western world in our era of fast and furious change and innovation. Leading news editors and experts from Canada, the UK and the US will discuss the fight to retain public trust in an age when misinformation and alternate facts have infected so many sources of information that we consume on a daily basis.

The event will be held live at The Globe and Mail’s spectacular event centre overlooking Toronto’s cityscape, with a celebratory reception following the conversation.

Register to attend

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