François Brousseau accepts the 1994 Michener-Deacon Fellowship from Governor General Ray Hnatyshyn. The Montreal journalist worked for Le Droit in Ottawa and for Le Journal de Montreal before joining the staff of Le Devoir in 1991. He works as a columnist and reporter specializing in coverage of international affairs. He is fluent in a number of languages including English, French, Spanish and Italian.
He plans to spend part of his 4-month study leave in Italy to examine that country’s political corruption crisis where the tangle of collusion between Italian political parties, industrialists and organized crime is beginning to unravel. Mr. Brousseau will focus his attention on relations among the media, the senior judiciary, and the entire political process in fast-changing times.
The fellowship was presented during a ceremony held at Government House, Ottawa, May 9, 1994.
The fellowship of the Michener Awards Foundation, introduced in 1987, is known today as the Michener-Deacon Fellowship (named after the late Roland Michener and the late Paul Deacon, a senior media executive and Michener Awards Foundation president). The fellowship is to encourage excellence in investigative print and broadcast journalism that serves the public interest through values that benefit the community. Mature journalists are invited to submit written outlines for studies over four months that will strengthen their competence.