UBC Journalism alumna Katarina Sabados has joined the team as interim project manager. Her extensive background in global journalism will help drive our initiatives forward as the project enters its sixth year.
Katarina brings six years of experience in investigative journalism, having previously held positions at the Global Reporting Centre and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). She has worked on several cross-border teams as a researcher and reporter, bringing her expertise in OSINT research and visual journalism to important projects on financial crimes, the extractive sector, land grabs, housing, and climate issues. She is a graduate of the UBC School of Journalism, Writing, and Media, where she immersed herself in journalism innovation, prototyping a Netflix-style diaspora news platform for the Imagine Journalism course and conducting a competitive landscape analysis of university-based journalism centres in North America.
In addition to her investigative reporting background, Katarina has worked on numerous audio productions as a researcher, field producer, and fact-checker. Her podcast work includes About the Journey by Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, goop x Audible, On China’s New Silk Road, and more.
Her work has been featured in publications such as NBC News, The Tyee, The World from PRX, Toronto Star, Canada’s National Observer, OCCRP, and others. Throughout her career and studies, Katarina’s work has been recognized by the TRACE Foundation, the Sigma Awards, and the Jack Webster Foundation. Most recently, she co-authored a media guide on empowerment journalism with the Global Reporting Centre, which received a Gold Anthem Award in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion category.
“Experimentation and risk-taking are two things I always try to incorporate into my work,” said Katarina. “Not just with storytelling techniques, but also in my approaches to reporting. We live in an era of constant disruption and ever-present change; to me, this is an opportunity to reflect, make shifts in the balance of power, and transform the practice of journalism. Through this kind of micro and macro innovation, we can find ways to move the needle while it spins on its axis.”
Apart from her reporting work, Katarina has also written narrative non-fiction for THIS Magazine and is a published artist. Most recently, her textile art and editorial photography were selected for the inaugural issue of Balkanism—a yearly journal showcasing art, fiction, essays, and material culture from the Balkan region and its diasporas.