Katharine Lake Berz

Katharine Lake Berz is a freelance journalist who writes about the impact of national and international issues on people’s lives. Her work has appeared in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, CBC, Broadview, National Post, The Canadian Press, TVO, News Decoder, Healthy Debate and The Walrus.

Katharine was nominated for a 2023 National Newspaper Award for her series of articles on Ukrainian women and children who survived Russian war crime violence. Her award-winning film Unbroken: A Story of Resistance portrays these victims fighting to stay alive.

Before becoming a journalist, Katharine worked at McKinsey & Company and advised a number of not-for-profit organizations. She holds a bachelor of commerce degree from Queen’s University, a master of philosophy degree in international relations from Cambridge University and was a fellow in the Fellowship of Global Journalism at the University of Toronto.

Katharine lives on Vancouver Island and in Toronto, Canada.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Articles
In Turkey, I’ve seen how political interference in the central bank crushes the economy
The Globe and Mail
In Turkey, I’ve seen how political interference in the central bank crushes the economy
The Globe and Mail

Political candidates in Canada and the United States are threatening the independence of their central banks, and voters should be worried.

The Globe and Mail
‘I didn’t care about death. I cared about drugs’: Opioid crisis in Canada’s prisons leaves inmates with life-sentence of despair
Toronto Star
‘I didn’t care about death. I cared about drugs’: Opioid crisis in Canada’s prisons leaves inmates with life-sentence of despair
Toronto Star

As Canada grapples with a severe national drug crisis, experts say the country’s prisons are overwhelmed.

Toronto Star
Canada is turning its back on Afghan women facing death and despair
Toronto Star
Canada is turning its back on Afghan women facing death and despair
Toronto Star

We made a promise to the Afghan people of our dedication to equality and justice; so why has Canada simply watched as gains in women’s rights have unravelled

Toronto Star
A kingdom of shocking pain and suffering: How this country is trying to escape a deadly epidemic and its history
Toronto Star
A kingdom of shocking pain and suffering: How this country is trying to escape a deadly epidemic and its history
Toronto Star

Eswatini has the most serious HIV/AIDS problem in the world, and has put serious effort into reducing it. But longstanding beliefs and sexual behaviours, including those of the king himself, stand in the way of progress.

Toronto Star

  • “Katharine will raise the game immensely for the profession”

    – Dominic Barton, Global Managing Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company

  • "I’ve worked with many journalists since Marie Colvin was killed, but none have matched her passion and skill for telling these kind of stories - till now."

    Paul Conroy, Photographer and filmmaker