The reporters were hired through the Unifor-funded internship
Two talented journalists are joining the Investigative Journalism Bureau this summer as part of an internship helping to develop the next generation of Canadian investigative reporters.
Rhythm Sachdeva and Maeve Ellis will spend four months working on public-interest investigations under the guidance of IJB staff. The pair shone as top contenders for this year’s fiercely competitive IJB/Unifor Investigative Summer Internship program. The initiative is funded by Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union.
Sachdeva, who graduated from the University of Toronto’s journalism program in 2020, has already been working part-time with the IJB as part of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s Fellowship in Global Journalism.
“Those familiar with the inner workings of journalism know that compelling stories demand more than immediacy, solid sources, and research,” says Sachdeva. “They require journalists to delve deeper, corroborate their data to an exacting degree, and paint a picture as if they experienced it firsthand. I believe, at the Investigative Journalism Bureau, I’ll have the opportunity to do just that.”
Sachdeva has gained considerable experience working for several major media outlets, and as a fellow, she worked on an IJB investigation into two dozen dietitians receiving payment from a Toronto-based sugar lobby group to create sponsored content.
“I look forward to working with a team dedicated to stories that strengthen Canada’s democracy and hold powerful organizations accountable,” she says.
Ellis, whose enthusiasm and drive made her stand out, says getting the internship is “an absolute dream.”
She is completing her third year at the University of Toronto as an economics and history major while also working as an assistant editor of The Varsity, the university’s student newspaper. Her story exploring challenges surrounding labor standards in the production of school merchandise spurred meaningful dialogue and encouraged ongoing accountability.
“I’m so excited to learn more about investigative tools and help uncover stories that will make a real-world impact,” she says.
A history of supporting Canadian journalism
This is the fourth year that Unifor has sponsored the IJB’s summer internship program.
The program has already helped six early-career journalists hone their investigative reporting skills. It is among the best-paid summer journalism internships in the country, with each intern receiving a $13,000 salary.
“Unifor is proud to support the summer internship program at the Investigative Journalism Bureau at University of Toronto to pump new talent into the news industry, which desperately needs the resources and investment it deserves,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne.
“Since 2020, our union has been pleased to support, grow and nurture the next generation of reporters, committed to quality, fact-based journalism, delivered to communities – big or small.”
Unifor’s dedication to Canadian investigative journalism and the IJB’s unique model extends beyond the internships. The union also co-sponsors the CJF/IJB Black Investigative Journalism Fellowship program, which brings an early-career Black reporter to the IJB for six months.
Together, the two programs establish Unifor and the IJB as leaders in fostering top journalism talent in Canada.
“Our partnership with Unifor has deeply enriched our journalism and our ability to help develop an emerging group of young reporters who are passionate about investigative work and the positive impact it can have on the world,” said Robert Cribb, founder and director of the IJB.
“This is legacy work that will foster journalistic careers and the public’s right to know for many years to come.”
Alina Snisarenko, who interned in 2023, is currently an associate producer for CBC Toronto. During her time at the IJB, she worked on a groundbreaking project that identified over 100 health products being sold without Health Canada approval.
As a direct result of the story, retailers immediately pulled health products from store shelves and online platforms.
“The internship taught me every skillset related to investigative work that I couldn’t acquire in a classroom setting,” says Snisarenko. “The peak was seeing my name in the paper. It’s pretty cool to see the work that you’re doing being acknowledged and having an impact.”
Learn more about Alina’s IJB experience below:
Norma Hilton, who also interned in 2023, contributed to the IJB’s Indigenous projects and investigations into environmental contaminants. A graduate of Columbia University’s master’s in journalism program, she’s now working as a digital writer for a humanitarian organization.
“Being at the IJB has helped to bridge the gap between what I learned theoretically at school and the practical side of investigative reporting,” says Hilton. “It’s made me more clinical and precise in the way that I try to find information. I think that’s really added to my repertoire.
Learn more about Norma’s experience below:
Danielle Orr, who did the internship in 2021, was part of the IJB team that won a 2023 Canadian Association of Journalists Data Journalism Award. Orr spent part of her time at the IJB working on Suspended, a sweeping investigation into an Ontario road-safety program that is vulnerable to abuse and misjudgement by doctors and government officials. That series was also a finalist for the 2023 CJF Jackman Award for Excellence in Journalism, one of Canadian journalism’s most prestigious prizes.
Other past interns have gone on to work for some of Canada’s leading publications, including the IJB, the Toronto Star, The Walrus, The Local and the CBC.
Thea Gribilas, who did the internship in 2022, was hired by The Toronto Star as a breaking news reporter shortly after completing the program, something she attributes in part to the internship: “The IJB … provided me with opportunities that I would never have had as an early-career journalist.”
Gribilas is currently on the path to becoming a lawyer.
She carries more with her from her internship than the skills she acquired.
“I was blessed to meet some of the most incredible people in the industry –– coworkers and friends I’ll take with me for years to come,” Gribilas said.
About the 2024 interns:
Rhythm Sachdeva is a Toronto-based immigration reporter and Dalla Lana School of Public Health Journalism and Health Impact fellow. She has reported for several prominent organizations, including The Canadian Press, the Toronto Star, CTV News, and the Times of India, delivering standout A1 features and impactful and data-driven stories for national audiences.
Maeve Ellis is a third-year student at the University of Toronto’s Victoria College studying economics and history. She has held positions with student publications such as The Varsity and The Strand, and has appeared on CP24 and Global News’ 640 Toronto. Her feature about UofT merchandise was short-listed for the 2023-2024 John H. McDonald Investigative Reporting Award. Ellis is especially interested in reporting on consumer advocacy and internet culture.
The Investigative Journalism Bureau is an impact-driven, collaborative newsroom that brings together professional and student journalists, academics, graduate students and media organizations to tell deeply-reported stories in the public interest. Based at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the IJB is Canada’s leading non-profit investigative newsroom with a string of national reporting honours since its inception in 2020.
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