AUDIO SAMPLES
Sarah has worked across all platforms during her career, but her first love is audio journalism. She’s worked in radio and podcasting; in breaking news settings as well as in documentary. She can gather crisp beautiful sound and interviews, and create complex audio scenes. She can write tight scripts to deadline, or long weaving narratives. (To boot, she’s an editing whiz.)
Her radio documentary about farm workers in Alberta was listed as a finalist for the Canadian Association of Journalists national award for labour rights reporting (2020) and the CANADALAND podcast, for which Sarah is the senior producer, was a finalist for the best current affairs podcast in Canada at the Digital Publishing Awards (2022).
The Next War - Feb. 29, 2024
Two years into Russia's war on Ukraine, the fighting continues — and so does the healing in villages reclaimed by Ukrainian forces. Allegations of sexual violence, perpetrated against soldiers and civilians, have emerged from the war. Freelance reporter Sarah Lawrynuik visited some of those towns to understand how survivors are now fighting a new battle to pick up the pieces.
Find this documentary on CBC's website here. Or read the web story here.
Part of our souls - Feb. 24, 2023
The Russia-Ukraine war has changed the lives of thousands of ordinary Ukrainians, from teachers to chefs to lawyers. Roman was a data analyst before he started tending to the wounded on the front lines. Freelance reporter and producer Sarah Lawrynuik brings us his story in her documentary, Part of Our Souls.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC Radio’s flagship morning show The Current as the lead on the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. You can also read the web feature here.
'It's our power': Street art brings hope to Ukrainians - March 6, 2023
Intelligence producer Sarah Lawrynuik meets a street artist who decorates the wreckage of war in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.
This story originally aired internationally on the Economist’s daily news and current affairs podcast, The Intelligence.
Shadow of a Once Great City - Nov. 9, 2022
As the war in Ukraine rages on, freelance journalist Sarah Lawrynuik takes us to Kharkiv, with her documentary Shadow of a Once Great City. It’s the story of a city devastated by the war but doing everything in its power to rebuild, and keep alive the hope of one day returning to normal.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC Radio’s flagship morning show The Current. You can also read the web feature here.
Renewed Russian shelling rocks most major cities across Ukraine - Oct. 10, 2022
Ukrainians across the country woke up to the loud bangs of rocket fire as Russia pursued the largest attack on the country since the invasion began.
Sarah Lawrynuik reports from Kharkiv, Ukraine.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC's The World This Hour.
In Nice, excitement over World Cup and Bastille Day celebrations is dulled by security risk - July 14, 2018
This weekend is one for the books in France…
Tomorrow their soccer team takes on Croatia in the World Cup final.
And to amplify the excitement, today is also the country’s national holiday, Bastille Day. But the elation of the weekend is dulled by security risks. Sarah Lawrynuik has more from Nice.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC's The World This Weekend.
Ventimiglia, Italy: A city of trapped migrants - Aug. 4, 2018
This summer there has been a continuous stream of news from Europe of increasingly hardline policies on migrants.
Just this week, an Italian towboat was reported to have returned migrants to Libya, possibly contravening international law according to the United Nations.
Italy has blocked a number of ships carrying migrants and asylum seekers from entering its ports over the past months…
And as Sarah Lawrynuik reports, many of the people who have already landed in Italy don’t want to be there…. And they’re desperate to cross the border into France.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC's The World This Weekend.
'We were all prisoners; now, we are free': Meet Iraqis fleeing ISIS in Mosul - Dec. 13, 2016
It takes less than an hour to drive the stretch of highway between the cities of Erbil and Mosul in Iraq — equivalent to the distance between Moose Jaw and Regina.
Those 70 kilometres can mean the difference between relative safety and life controlled by ISIS. Travel down that road to Mosul with CBC producer Sarah Lawrynuik.
This documentary originally aired on CBC's national flagship radio show, The Current. Find it online here.
Hungary's new 'Stop Soros' laws have some fearing for the country's future - July 1, 2018
It has been the hardest time in recent memory to be a humanitarian worker in Europe, as thousands of migrants and refugees have flooded through each country.
But in Hungary, employees of non-governmental organizations are facing the possibility of prison terms just for doing their jobs. The national assembly in Hungary has passed a package of laws called the Stop Soros bill. Sarah Lawrynuik reports from Budapest.
This story aired nationally in Canada on CBC's The World This Weekend.
'It's all worth it,' says couple who lost everything fighting for farm workers - Jan. 17, 2019
Eric Musekamp and Darlene Dunlop just wanted to help keep farmers and their workers safe; instead, they made many of them angry. The couple founded the Farmworkers' Union of Alberta 15 years ago, and say they've been paying the price ever since. Their journey is documented in this 30-minute network radio documentary which aired on CBC Radio’s The Doc Project.
This radio documentary was a finalist for the Canadian Association of Journalists’ labour rights award in the spring of 2020.
Garth Brooks fever hits Calgary - Sept. 2, 2017
Garth Brooks fever is spreading across Calgary... and fast.
The country music superstar is playing his second and third shows today with his wife Trisha Yearwood.
And as Sarah Lawrynuik reports, Calgary was one of the priority cities to come back to on this tour.
This story aired in Calgary, Alberta on local CBC Radio newscasts.
One of the world's smallest nations expands into the sea - June 9, 2018
In a 10-year, $3-billion Cdn project, the city-state of Monaco is expanding by six hectares into the Mediterranean. The land is destined to become a pedestrian-only area surrounding a number of new condo buildings. In all, it will add 100 new units to Monaco's real estate market.
This story originally aired nationally in Canada on the CBC's The World This Weekend.
Waterton Fire: A ravaged national park - Sept. 12, 2017
In September 2017 Waterton Lakes National Park was ravaged by the Kenow Wildfire. Sarah Lawrynuik followed the fire's progress for days and was up all night with the people of southern Alberta as they were evacuated from their homes.