The Walrus Fellowship Program

The Walrus has an educational mandate and is invested in the idea that a healthy society relies on informed citizens. Every year, The Walrus Fellowship Program trains emerging journalists and media professionals in the art and science of fact checking, editing, and the production process as well as gaining a keen understanding of nonprofit management. This program exists to nurture and develop the next generation journalists, editors, and storytellers who have the skills to produce well-researched, trustworthy, and fact-based journalism.

The fellowship program is made possible by the generosity of individuals, foundations, and companies that are invested in training tomorrow’s reporters, editors, and storytellers. We thank the following philanthropists and companies for their investment in the future of journalism:

  • Birks Family Foundation
  • Cannonbury Foundation
  • CIBC Foundation
  • Chawkers Foundation
  • Justice Fund
  • Journalists for Human Rights
  • Power Corporation of Canada
  • McLean Foundation
  • TD Bank Group

Meet the Fellows

Connor Garel

The Justice Fund Writer in Residence (2023)

Connor is an award-winning writer, editor, and twin based in Toronto. Before first joining The Walrus as an editorial fellow in late 2020 , he served as an associate editor on the Life and Perspectives desks at HuffPost Canada (RIP). His work has appeared variously in the Globe and Mail, The Face, Canadian Art (also RIP), and, among others, Vice, where he was an editorial intern in 2018. Additionally, Connor is a contributing editor at the UK-based Dazed magazine, where he writes long profiles of artists. You can find him haunting little coffee shops or at the library, the Paradise Theatre, or @nopecon on X.

Mashal Butt

Power Corporation of Canada Senior Fellow

Mashal Butt is a fact checker and journalist. She has fact-checked and copy-edited for The Canadian Encyclopedia, Toronto Life, Maclean’s, and Chatelaine, among other publications. Before first joining The Walrus as an editorial fellow in 2021 , she worked on investigations for the Investigative Journalism Bureau and the Global Reporting Centre and did social justice reporting for The Tyee. She holds a master’s in journalism from the University of British Columbia’s School of Journalism, Writing and Media and has an unhealthy obsession with her favourite soccer team.
X: @mashalbuttt

Colby Payne

Canadian Race Relations Fellow

Colby Payne is a journalist based in Vancouver, with prior experience in communications and education. She holds a bachelor of arts in English literature and Russian from the University of British Columbia, where she was a senior staff writer for the Ubyssey.

Mihika Arawal

Cannonbury Fellow

Mihika is an Indian cultural journalist who writes about mental health, South Asian diaspora, film and television, and digital culture, among other things. She has worked in newsrooms in India, U.S., and Canada and her work has appeared in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, Chatelaine, The Georgia Straight, Architectural Digest, Vice, and more.
X: @itmemihika

Dhriti Gupta

Chawkers Fellow

Dhriti is a journalist and fact-checker based in Toronto. Before joining The Walrus, she spent a year reporting on education, culture, urban affairs and business for the Toronto Star. You can find more of her work in Maclean’s, The Local, Exclaim! and This Magazine, among others.
X: @dhritigupta

Khalida Elsadati

TD Fellow on Disability and Inclusion

Khalida is a media enthusiast and creative profoundly passionate about the meeting of art, media, and advocacy. Grounding her expertise at Western University, she’s been instrumental in projects like the (Un)heard podcast in collaboration with the Iconoclast Collective UWO. As someone dedicated to transformative storytelling, she’s expanded her horizons working with clients like Kruger and launching insightful research into the evolution of verbal art on digital giants like TikTok and YouTube. In September 2023, she unveiled No One’s Coming, a podcast capturing the complexities of young adulthood. Joining The Walrus as the TD Fellow on Disability and Inclusion, Khalida’s goal is clear: use media to share stories that matter and make a difference.

Makda Mulatu

CIBC Digital Fellow for Emerging Black Journalists

Makda Mulatu is a writer and podcaster based in amiskwaciwâskahikan, or Edmonton, Alberta. Her poetry, interviews, and culture writing have appeared in publications like Contemporary Verse 2, filling Station, and This Magazine, among others. From 2020-2023, she hosted and produced Glass Bookshop Radio, a literary podcast that connected readers with some of the most exciting authors and publishers in Canada. These days, you can find her talking about her favourite books on CBC Edmonton’s Radio Active or teaching figure skating at her community rink.

Where Are They Now?

Many of our past fellows have gone on to work at esteemed publications in senior positions. Some have even published their first books. Since its founding in 2003, The Walrus has been privileged to have worked with over 100 emerging media professionals and has witnessed their careers flourish. Here is a selection of past fellows and their recent activity:

  • Julia-Simone Rutgers, our inaugural Justice Fund Writer in Residence (2021/22), is now the Manitoba reporter for The Narwhal
  • Lucy Uprichard, our 2020/21 Chawkers Fellow, is now Editor-in-Chief at Maisonneuve
  • Leila El Shennawy, our 2021/22 Cannonbury Fellow, is now an Associate Editor at Reader’s Digest Canada
  • Tajja Isen, former fellow at The Walrus (2018/19), published Some of My Best Friends: Essays on Lip Service in 2022
  • Aimee Louw, our 2020/21 TD Fellow on Disability and Inclusion, is currently CBC Montreal’s City Columnist

Tobin Ng, former Chawkers Editorial Fellow, 2023/24

“Having the opportunity to talk through editorial decisions and collaborate with seasoned editors has been a deeply valuable experience, and I’m excited to further develop my editing skills after the fellowship.”

Current Opportunities

POSITIONS WE ARE CURRENTLY HIRING FOR:

Partner with Us to Secure the Future of Journalism

The Walrus Editorial Fellowship Fund allows philanthropists to support this annual program, and ensure the longevity of the fellowship year after year.

Donate directly to The Walrus Editorial Fellowship Fund by choosing “The Walrus Editorial Fellowship Fund” in the drop-down list.

Support The Walrus and commit to independent, fact-based journalism.

To enquire about full sponsorship for a Fellow with naming and recognition opportunities please contact email Laura Lavie, Development Director, at laura@thewalrus.ca.