CTV News Vancouver's Michele Brunoro awarded prestigious B.C. journalism fellowship

Veteran CTV News Vancouver reporter and anchor Michele Brunoro has been named as this year's recipient of the prestigious Lieutenant Governor's B.C. Journalism Fellowship.

The fellowship offers funding to journalists to pursue in-depth investigative work on matters of importance to British Columbians.

The award was announced in a news release by Lieutenant Governor Janet Austin, with the support of the Government House Foundation and in partnership with the Jack Webster Foundation.

Later this year, Brunoro will be producing online stories and TV broadcast pieces focused on human trafficking in the province.

"Brunoro is committed to investigating and sharing these important stories to raise public awareness and give a voice to victims, inform the public and help prevent further exploitation," the release reads.

The project is set to be completed by early 2025. Brunoro will explore victim backgrounds, the effectiveness of laws in B.C., preventative efforts and the work of British Columbians to help victims who are in other parts of the world.

She also hopes to speak with both Canadian and foreign victims and provide a B.C. perspective on sex tourism.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to dig more deeply into a complex and often hidden crime where the voices of victims are rarely heard," Brunoro said in a statement. "The trade in human beings is a global crisis — and the connection to B.C. is a story that needs to be told."

CTV News Vancouver news director Ethan Faber congratulated Brunoro on the recognition, saying it is "well-deserved" with her lengthy history in investigative reporting.

"In her almost 25 years of award-winning reporting at CTV News, Michele Brunoro has firmly established herself as one of Canada's most accomplished investigative journalists. Among her many talents is a remarkable ability to build relationships with marginalized people based on mutual trust and respect, and these relationships take time. That's why we couldn't be more proud to support Michele's work as this year's recipient of the Lieutenant Governor's B.C. Journalism Fellowship," Faber said in a statement.

Faber added that deep and meaningful journalism is the foundation of a healthy democracy and this fellowship offers an incredible opportunity to make a difference.

This is the third Lieutenant Governor's B.C. Journalism Fellowship to be awarded. Initially, it was thought 2024 would be the final year, however, the fellowship has been extended to a fourth year thanks to additional funding from the Government House Foundation.

"It is with great sincerity that I congratulate Michele Brunoro on being selected as the third B.C. journalism fellow. The work of the previous fellows has proven the importance of giving the proper space for a story to unfold, and Ms. Brunoro's proposal deserves the same opportunity for similar comprehensive storytelling. It is my hope that awareness and exposure of these challenging aspects of our society can lead to change for the better," Austin said.