The Canadian Journalism Foundation’s (CJF) popular J-Talks Live kicked off its fall season with a special two-part event focused on news startups. Startups have become a recent bright spot in a media industry struggling to survive in the digital era and post-pandemic environment. Indeed, dozens of startups are thriving by filling coverage gaps such as community news and topics often overlooked by mainstream newsrooms.

In the two-part virtual event, the CJF showcased 10 visionaries to share their insights on their growing media sector, new business models and current challenges.

At the first event, on Tuesday, September 13 at 1 p.m. EDT, the CJF welcomed news start-up ecosystem builders – leaders of outlets that have grown in influence since their introduction. The featured speakers are Emma Gilchrist, co-founder, editor-in-chief, and executive director of The Narwhal; Chuck Lapointe, CEO and co-founder of Narcity Media Group; Farhan Mohamed, co-founder of Overstory Media Group; and Brandi Schier, CEO of Discourse Community Publishing. Leading this discussion is Erin Millar, CEO, and co-founder of Indiegraf Media and founder and former CEO of Discourse Media. Indiegraf Media won the inaugural CJF-MJP Digital News Innovation Award in 2021.