Michelle Shephard

Toronto

Journalist, filmmaker. Books: Decade of Fear & Guantanamo's Child. Former @TorontoStar #natsec reporter. CBC podcast host & producer. Co-founder @FFFilms_

Articles

"Code Name: Pale Horse" Co-Writer Michelle Shephard Goes Inside a Neo-Nazi Cult

1 week ago | airmail.news | Michelle Shephard

When I first met Scott Payne, with whom I co-wrote Code Name: Pale Horse—How I Went Undercover to Expose America’s Nazis, he was wearing what I would come to learn was his usual uniform, no matter the season. Backwards baseball cap, sleeveless T-shirt to reveal the bulging tattoo-sleeved arms, jeans, and cowboy boots. Looking at this man, who was my opposite in so many ways, I wondered what the hell I’d gotten myself into.
“We are all victims,” Trump convinced the angry and disaffected who were searching for acceptance and validation

Nov 7, 2024 | thestar.com | Michelle Shephard

When terrorist groups or cult leaders recruit new members, there are some commonalities they look for: isolation, past traumas, social, economic or mental depression. And, perhaps most importantly, a sense of victimhood. I thought about these factors in the desperate search for answers after the U.S. election. How can a man — a convicted felon — who is blatantly misogynistic, racist, homophobic, Islamophobic and democracy-phobic win?
They've been called 'Iran's puppet'

Jan 21, 2024 | therecord.com | Michelle Shephard

By Michelle Shephard, Special to Star Khaled Al-Hammadi, Special to the Star In a war where public opinion is a powerful weapon, and truth among the casualties, enter the Houthis. Michelle Shephard is an independent journalist and filmmaker and the Star's former national security correspondent. Khaled Al-Hammadi is an award-winning journalist.
They've been called 'Iran's puppet' — but they're pulling many strings. Where the Houthis fit in the Israel-Hamas war

Jan 21, 2024 | thestar.com | Michelle Shephard

In a war where public opinion is a powerful weapon, and truth among the casualties, enter the Houthis. The Yemeni rebel group, which was re-designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization this week, has emerged as a major player in the Israel-Hamas war since the dramatic hijacking of a cargo ship in November and a series of attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. Already a Subscriber?
War coverage dies along with death of journalists in Gaza

Jan 9, 2024 | thestar.com | Michelle Shephard

The images of loss have been constant and searing, leading many to just look away. Wael Dahdouh is pleading that we don’t. Already a Subscriber? Sign in You are logged in Switch accounts Dahdouh is Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and fast becoming the face of the war between Israel and Hamas, his news reports reaching millions of Arabic-speaking viewers across the Middle East.
War coverage dies along with death of journalists in Gaza

Jan 9, 2024 | thestar.com | Michelle Shephard

The images of loss have been constant and searing, leading many to just look away. Wael Dahdouh is pleading that we don’t. Already a Subscriber? Sign in You are logged in Switch accounts Dahdouh is Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief and fast becoming the face of the war between Israel and Hamas, his news reports reaching millions of Arabic-speaking viewers across the Middle East.
Searching for Salmaan: The fate of children in Syria after the Islamic State

Dec 1, 2023 | cbc.ca | Poonam Taneja |Jewan Abdi |Michelle Shephard |Andre Mayer

The video is just under a minute long, and features a little boy, Salmaan. He’s about two years old and he’s got big, brown eyes and punctuates his words with giggles. Off camera, his mother is coaxing him to repeat a few words. “Dadu,” he says in a high-pitched voice to his grandfather. “I.… love.… you.”Salmaan’s grandfather, Ash Khurshid, who is from East London in the U.K., has watched this footage over and over. He marvels at how much Salmaan looks like his son.
Fighting terror with terror is a losing strategy

Nov 15, 2023 | therecord.com | Michelle Shephard

By Michelle Shephard Special to the Star Terror can never eradicate terror. It seems an obvious statement, but history has shown that in times of grief, fear and fury, the response to a terror attack is often terroristic, akin to what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called "mighty vengeance."Already a Subscriber? Sign in
Israel should learn from failed U.S. strategy post 9-11

Nov 15, 2023 | wellandtribune.ca | Michelle Shephard

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Michelle Shephard: Fighting terror with terror is a losing strategy

Nov 15, 2023 | thestar.com | Michelle Shephard

Terror can never eradicate terror. It seems an obvious statement, but history has shown that in times of grief, fear and fury, the response to a terror attack is often terroristic, akin to what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called “mighty vengeance.” Already a Subscriber? Sign in You are logged in Switch accounts The U.S.’s mighty vengeance in response to the Sept.