Fellowship aims to help public understand institutions of law, justice, democratic governance
The Law Commission of Canada (LCC) and the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) announced Linda Besner as winner of the inaugural LCC-CBA Journalism Fellowship, which seeks to make a valuable contribution toward a more informed, engaged, and empowered society.
“On behalf of the Canadian Bar Association, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Linda Besner on being awarded this inaugural journalism fellowship,” said Lynne Vicars, the CBA’s president, in a press release.
“As the inaugural LCC-CBA Journalism Fellow, Linda Besner will shine a light on pressing law and justice questions relevant to the future of Canadian society,” said Shauna Van Praagh, the LCC’s president, in the press release. “I offer my warm congratulations to Linda and look forward to reading and learning from her work.”
Besner is a Montreal-based and award-winning freelance writer, an alumna of the Banff Literary Journalism residency, and a former fellow of the MacDowell Colony who has worked with publications including The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, and The Atlantic, the CBA said in its press release.
Valued at $40,000, the LCC-CBA Journalism Fellowship seeks to improve public understanding of Canada’s institutions of law, justice, and democratic governance, the press release said.
Besner, through the fellowship, will produce a series of original in-depth journalistic articles addressing emerging issues in the area of law and justice that are critical to the lives of people in Canada, the CBA’s press release said.
These issues include the depopulation of jails during the COVID-19 pandemic, the codification of Indigenous family and child welfare legal traditions, the public’s role in shaping the adoption of AI tools in the justice system, and the effects of the demise of regional news on the open court principle, the press release added.
“Journalism plays a vital role in fostering an informed society, and we believe that Linda’s work will help demystify important aspects of our justice system, making it more accessible and understandable to the public,” Vicars said in the press release. “At a time when trust in our institutions is being tested, this kind of reporting is more essential than ever.”
Canada’s legal community will be able to access the articles after they have been published on the websites of the CBA and the LCC, featured in the CBA National Magazine, and shared in the networks of both organizations, the press release said.
The CBA and the LCC are both committed to public legal education, law reform, and thought leadership on emerging law and justice issues, according to the press release. Both the CBA and the LCC will be working to develop a public engagement project based on the articles, the press release added.
“The Law Commission of Canada is delighted to collaborate with the Canadian Bar Association in creating this opportunity for journalists to investigate changing ways in which law intersects with the needs and aspirations of people across Canada,” Van Praagh said in the press release.
