HALIFAX, April 7, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Michel Cormier, Executive Director News and Current Affairs, French Services at Radio-Canada, will be the guest speaker at the Atlantic Journalism Awards gala dinner and awards show.  The event will be held on Saturday evening May 9, 2015 at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel.

Born in the coastal town of Cocagne, New Brunswick, journalist Michel Cormier began his career after completing his university education. He first worked in the French newsroom of Radio-Canada in Moncton. He moved to Montreal where he worked for seven years on the weekly radio current affairs program, "Présent dimanche", he then spent some time at the English network of the CBC, working in Ottawa as a parliamentary correspondent, before becoming the Quebec National Assembly bureau chief.

In 2000, he became a foreign correspondent for Radio-Canada and CBC. Reporting from posts in Moscow, Paris and Beijing, Cormier covered the reconstitution of Russia, the war in Afghanistan, the great European debates, various conflicts in the Middle East, and the rise of China.

Cormier has authored four books, and has been honoured with Anick and Judith-Jasmin Awards. He became Director of Radio-Canada Acadie in 2010, and Executive Director News and Current Affairs, French Services at Radio-Canada, Montreal, in 2012.

The Atlantic Journalism Awards is in its 34^th year of honouring journalistic excellence in Atlantic Canada through a juried competition in 28 categories including newspapers, magazines, radio, television and online journalism. The presentation of the AJAs awards will be made during a gala dinner and awards event at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel on Saturday, May 9, 2015.  For tickets go to www.AJAs.ca and click on tickets.

SOURCE Atlantic Journalism Awards