Michelle Shephard

Michelle Shephard is an acclaimed Canadian investigative journalist, author, filmmaker, and podcast producer whose fearless, deeply empathetic reporting on global terrorism, civil rights, and national security has established her as a premier voice in contemporary investigative media. During her distinguished two-decade tenure as a national security correspondent for the Toronto Star, she tracked post-9/11 counter-terrorism efforts across the globe, making over two dozen reporting trips to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and embedded operations in Somalia, Yemen, and Pakistan. She vaulted into international prominence as a non-fiction author with her 2008 breakthrough book, Guantanamo’s Child: The Untold Story of Omar Khadr, which was a finalist for the Arthur Ellis Award, and her subsequent comprehensive policy survey, Decade of Fear: Reporting from the Frontlines of the War on Terror. Co-founding the independent production banner Frequent Flyer Films, Shephard seamlessly transitioned her investigative grit into cinema and broadcasting, co-directing the Emmy-nominated feature documentary Guantanamo's Child and producing the critically adored film The Perfect Story. A dominant and highly celebrated architect of long-form audio storytelling, she has hosted, written, and produced several hit investigative podcast series for major networks like the CBC and its partners, including the cold-case unravelling Sharmini, the Ambie-nominated CIA exposure Brainwashed, and the New York Festivals Radio Award-winning far-right exposé White Hot Hate. A recipient of the prestigious Michener Award for public service journalism and a three-time winner of the National Newspaper Award, she continues to direct challenging, character-driven media projects and regularly serves as a guest host for CBC Radio’s The Current.