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Area of Expertise

Narrative and feature writing, true crime, the Canadian justice system, domestic violence, trauma

Jana G. Pruden is a feature writer at The Globe and Mail, and the reporter and host of the hit narrative podcast series, In Her Defence. She has focused on court and true crime reporting for the past 20 years, and is particularly interested in issues around wrongful conviction and women in the justice system.

Jana’s longform and narrative writing has been recognized internationally. Significant stories include her multi-year investigation into the sexual relationships of self-styled spiritual leader John de Ruiter and his followers’ acquisition of property in rural Alberta; in-depth reporting on the case of Matthew McKnight, an Edmonton man tried for 13 counts of sexual assault; the story of Jason Klaus, an Alberta man accused of murdering his family; a nuanced look at the life of the young man who became infamous as ‘Kai the Hatchet-Wielding Hitchhiker,’ and the story of Helen Naslund, who was sentenced for murder in the death of her abusive husband.

Since joining The Globe in 2016, Jana G. Pruden has also played a key role in coverage of many significant and historic news events, including the stabbing massacre on the James Smith Cree Nation, the manhunt for two teen shooters in northern British Columbia, the Pope’s historic visit and apology to Indigenous people, Canada’s deadliest mass shooting in Nova Scotia, the Fort McMurray fire, the Humboldt bus crash, the Toronto van attack and the Orlando nightclub shooting. As the reporter and host of The Globe’s first narrative podcast series, In Her Defence, Jana takes listeners inside the battered woman defence, with exclusive interviews with Helen Naslund and her family. The second season, In Her Defence: 50th Street examines the unsolved murder of Amber Tuccaro.

Her work on wrongful convictions has included examinations of the cases of Nerissa and Odelia Quewezance, Tomas Yebes, Phillip Tallio and David Milgaard.

Jana delivered the prestigious Minifie Lecture in 2020, and has written and spoken frequently about journalism, narrative writing, and the ethics of true crime, writing about trauma and working with victims. She is the author or co-author of four books, and a sessional journalism and writing instructor.

In 2020, Jana hosted The Globe and Mail’s online Craft Club. She also enjoys quirky and unexpected stories, including writing about wild boars, competitive cheerleading, typewriters, Edmonton’s controversial elephant, Lucy, and the mystery of a newspaper-print scarf with one of her stories on it. Jana is based in Edmonton.

Why did you become a journalist?

I truly believe in the power of journalism and stories to empower, enlighten and bring about change.

26

Years in Journalism

8

Years at The Globe and Mail

Education

Bachelor of Fine Art, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, 1996

Master of Fine Art, Creative Nonfiction, Goucher College

Honours & Awards

2024 Signal Award, finalist, Best True Crime podcast

2023 Digital Publishing Awards finalist, Best Podcast – Current Affairs

2023 Mindset Award, honourable mention, Reporting on Mental health

2023 Society for Features Journalism, second place, Narrative Podcasting

2023 Longreads Best of 2023

2022 Canadian Association of Journalists Awards, finalist, Written Feature

2022 National Newspaper Awards, finalist, Long Feature

2021 Canadian Journalism Foundation Landsberg Award, Honourable Mention

2021 Digital Publishing Award finalist, Long Feature

2021 National Newspaper Awards, finalist (team entry), Breaking News

2020 National Newspaper Awards, Citation of Merit, Long Feature

2019 Digital Publishing Awards, Best Feature Article: Long

2018 National Newspaper Awards, Citation of Merit, Long Feature

2018 Top 5 Longreads of the Week, Longreads

2017 Society for Features Journalism, Second place, Digital Innovation (all divisions)

2017 Society for Features Journalism, Third place, General Feature (divisions)

2017 National Magazine Award finalist, Long Feature

2016 Digital Publishing Awards, Best Feature Article: Short

2016 Digital Publishing Awards, Best Social Storytelling

2014 Top 5 Longreads of the Week, Longreads

2014 Society for Features Journalism, First place, Narrative Writing

2014 Society for Features Journalism, First place, Specialty Writing Portfolio

2013 Notable Sports Writing, The Best American Sports Writing

2013 Best Crime Writing, Slate Magazine

2012 Eppy Award, Best News or Event Feature

Professional affliations

Canadian Association of Journalists, Society of Features Journalism

Languages spoken

English, some French

Jana G. Pruden abides by The Globe and Mail Editorial Code of Conduct

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