Jana G. Pruden

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.