Katie Polglase

Investigative Producer

Katie Polglase is an Emmy Award-winning Investigative Producer based at CNN's London Bureau.
Katie Polglase

About

Katie Polglase is an Emmy award-winning Investigative Producer based at CNN’s London bureau.

With a specialism in open-source intelligence (OSINT), Polglase has led multiple investigations for CNN with a focus on uncovering human rights abuses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Conducting the research as well as presenting on air, her work has been instrumental in driving change on a global level. It has been cited by government bodies and intelligence agencies, as well as winning multiple awards. This includes a Murrow Award in 2023 for Investigative Reporting and two Emmy awards in 2022 and 2023.

She was the on-air reporter for CNN’s investigation into the death of Shireen Abu Akleh in the West Bank; the investigation into the disappearance of Iranian teenager Nika Shahkarami, as well as multiple investigations into Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Most recently she presented CNN’s investigation into the Nova festival massacre in Israel and has been key to multiple OSINT-led investigations in Gaza.

Polglase previously worked with CNN Chief International Investigative Correspondent Nima Elbagir’s team covering the conflict in Ethiopia. Together they published Peabody Award nominated exclusive investigations that used on-the-ground and open-source techniques to expose massacres committed by Ethiopian and Eritrean soldiers.

Polglase also led the research for a 14-month investigation into child abuse in the Catholic Church. The piece won the Association for International Broadcasting’s (AIB) Impact Award and the AIB’s Award for Investigative Documentary TV and Video. It was also shortlisted for the Foreign Press Association’s Print & Web Story of the Year.

Her work on the investigation into Russian troll farms in Ghana was a finalist for the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the investigation into the Lekki toll gate shooting in Nigeria won the award for Best Use of Crowd Sourcing or Citizen Journalism at The Drum Online Media Awards 2021.

Polglase holds a Bachelor’s degree in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Cambridge. She is fluent in English, Arabic and Spanish, and studied overseas in Jordan.