About Joan Donaldson
A highly respected senior journalist, Joan Donaldson was the founding Head of Newsworld responsible for the development and operation of the network. She came to Newsworld from CBC's main network where she had developed a reputation for always having her finger on the pulse of Canada, delivering newsworthy stories from all over the country.
Born in Toronto, Donaldson first joined the CBC in 1967 as an editor with National Radio News. During her time with CBC Radio, she served as Senior Editor of The World at Six, Sunday Morning Magazine and various news specials. In 1971, Donaldson went to CBC Winnipeg as the producer of the popular early evening news show 24 Hours.
Two years later, she returned to the network in Toronto as a producer on Newsmagazine and news specials.
After a five-year stint as a field producer on CTV's W5, Donaldson joined Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in 1975 as an instructor in Broadcast Journalism, in addition to teaching at the University of Western Ontario in the Journalism Program for Native People.
Donaldson returned to the CBC in 1985 as Co-ordinator of Regional Programming, TV News and Current Affairs.
Donaldson was appointed Head of CBC Newsworld during its inception stages in 1987 and oversaw the launch of the new specialty service in 1989.
Unfortunately, Donaldson was involved in a tragic accident in Montreal in 1990 that left her unable to continue her career. Donaldson passed away in September, 2006. These scholarships are dedicated to her invaluable contributions to Canadian journalism.