Her book Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army also won the 2008 Governor General's Literary Award in Non-fiction.

Her father, who was in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, managed a hockey arena in Noranda.

[6] Blatchford began working part-time for The Globe and Mail in 1972, while still studying journalism at Ryerson, where she graduated at the top of her class.

"[8] Displeased when a Globe column was edited against her wishes, Blatchford then abruptly jumped to the competing Toronto Star, where she worked as a feature writer from 1977 to 1982, and began covering criminal trials in 1978, a beat she would return to throughout her career.

[6] Looking to transition from a news reporter to a columnist, Blatchford proposed a light humour column to the Toronto Sun in 1982, chronicling her new relationship with a younger boyfriend, as well as her interactions with other friends and family.

Based on these experiences, she wrote the book Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army.

[6] Blatchford's book Helpless: Caledonia's Nightmare of Fear and Anarchy, and How the Law Failed All of Us, concerning the Grand River land dispute, led to some controversy, including several members of the student body of the University of Waterloo protesting her speaking engagement and leading to its being cancelled on grounds of security.

"[16] After having to cut short her assignment covering the 2019 federal election campaign due to nagging muscle pain, Blatchford was diagnosed in November 2019 with lung cancer which was found to have metastasized to bones in the spine and hip by the time it was detected.

[6][3] Blatchford took leave from writing her column and sought treatment at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, where she underwent several months of surgeries, radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy.