Tom Cardoso

StaffInvestigative reporterToronto

tcardoso@globeandmail.com https://tomcardoso.com

Tom Cardoso is an award-winning journalist who has written on everything from federal lobbying practices to UFOs. A Brazilian based out of Toronto, he is a member of The Globe’s investigations team.

Tom has an unorthodox background for a reporter, having started out as a graphics and data editor; because of this, his stories occasionally involve complex data analysis. He is also an avowed filer of freedom of information requests.

His past work has looked at how fraudsters have skirted the penalties imposed on them by securities commissions, the source of Canada’s crime guns and the gaps in a pandemic relief program. In 2020, he published “Bias Behind Bars,” an investigation that revealed federal prison risk evaluations are biased against Indigenous and Black people. That work was recognized with awards from the Online News Association, Canadian Association of Journalists and National Newspaper Awards, which named him “Journalist of the Year.” In 2021, Tom was part of a team that explored the finances of the Catholic Church and its broken promises to residential school survivors. That body of reporting later won the Michener Award, Canada’s top journalistic honour.

His most recent project was “Secret Canada,” an 18-month examination of Canada’s broken freedom of information regime. Among other things, he looked at how Ottawa has allowed immigrants requesting their own case files to overwhelm the federal access system, the events that left Newfoundland and Labrador with the country’s strongest access laws and the lack of consequences for public servants suspected of illegally destroying documents.

When not out reporting a story, Tom enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, honing his green thumb and spending time with his dog and cat, who seem to only just tolerate each other.

Why did you become a journalist?

I fell in love with the craft at my university’s student newspaper, and have (mostly) been at it ever since.

Years at The Globe and Mail

Education

Honours Bachelor of Arts, University of Toronto

Honours & Awards

National Newspaper Award, Project of the Year, 2024

World Press Freedom Canada Award, 2024

Michener Award, 2022

National Newspaper Award, Investigation, 2022

Online Journalism Awards, Al Neuharth Innovation in Investigative Journalism Award, 2021

Canadian Association of Journalists, Don McGillivray Award for Investigative Journalism, 2021

Canadian Association of Journalists, Data Journalism Award, 2021

National Newspaper Award, Journalist of the Year, 2021

National Newspaper Award, Investigation, 2021

National Newspaper Award, Project of the Year (part of a team), 2020

Data Journalism Awards, Investigation of the Year, 2018

Michener Award finalist, 2018

Professional affliations

Canadian Association of Journalists, Investigative Reporters and Editors

Languages spoken

English, Portuguese, working Spanish

Tom Cardoso abides by The Globe and Mail Editorial Code of Conduct

Fingerprint: 6FF7 86C1 7EC7 0270 DEE4 A5C5 6475 4C2D 6EFD EF59

Latest in