The Fifth Estate (TV series)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Fifth Estate'' is an English-language
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
investigative documentary series that airs on the national CBC Television network. The name is a reference to the term " Fourth Estate", and was chosen to highlight the program's determination to go beyond everyday news into original journalism. The program has been on the air since 16 September 1975, and its primary focus is on
investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years res ...
. It has engaged in co-productions with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'', the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...
'', and often with the
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
program '' Frontline''. ''The Fifth Estate'' is one of two television programs (with ''The Twilight Zone'' being the first) to win an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a prize presented to theatrical films: ''
Just Another Missing Kid ''Just Another Missing Kid'' is a 1981 Canadian documentary film, directed by John Zaritsky, about the search for a missing Ottawa teenager. Summary Eric Wilson had left his native Ottawa in July 1978 in a Volkswagen camper on a trip to Boulder, C ...
'', originally a ''The Fifth Estate'' episode, was released in theatres in the United States and won the 1982
Academy Award for Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
.


Journalists

Journalists associated with the show, past and present, include: * Theresa Burke * Marie Caloz * Stevie Cameron * Harvey Cashore *
Adrienne Clarkson Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation. Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
* Neil Docherty *
Gillian Findlay Gillian Findlay is a Canadian television journalist who has worked for the CBC and ABC. She studied history and literature at Simon Fraser University and she holds a diploma in broadcast journalism from the British Columbia Institute of Technolog ...
*
Declan Hill Declan Hill is a journalist, academic and consultant. He is one of the world’s foremost experts on match-fixing and corruption in international sports. In 2008, Hill, as a Chevening Scholar, obtained his doctorate in Sociology at the University ...
* Hana Gartner * Ron Haggart * Bob Johnstone * Mark Kelley * Joe MacAnthony *
Linden MacIntyre Linden Joseph MacIntyre (born May 29, 1943) is a Canadian journalist, broadcaster and novelist. He has won ten Gemini Awards, an International Emmy and numerous other awards for writing and journalistic excellence, including the 2009 Scotiabank ...
*
Bob McKeown Robert Duff McKeown, (; born October 10, 1950) is a Canadian investigative reporter and former all-star and championship Gridiron football, football player. He has also worked with NBC and CBS. McKeown returned to the CBC in November 2002 to ...
* Sheila MacVicar *
Victor Malarek Victor Gregory Malarek (born 26 June 1948) is a Canadian journalist and author, known for his book ''Hey, Malarek!'' and his tenure as one of the hosts of CBC's '' The Fifth Estate'', as well as his depiction in the movie '' Target Number One' ...
*
Eric Malling Eric Malling (September 4, 1946 – September 28, 1998) was a Canadian television journalist. Born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan to Danish immigrant John Malling Sorensen. Malling was the only son of a butcher. He graduated from the University ...
* Habiba Nosheen * Ian Parker * Francine Pelletier * Sally Reardon * Peter Reilly * Glenn Sarty * David Studer * Robin Taylor * Warner Troyer *
Anna Maria Tremonti Anna Maria Tremonti (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian radio and television journalist who has been featured on a variety of radio and television programs on the CBC. She has served as a senior reporter for '' The National'', where she won two G ...
* Jim Williamson * Trish Wood


Episodes

News reports aired on ''The Fifth Estate'' have included investigations into and reports about: * 9/11 Truth movement * Death of Ashley Smith *
Airbus affair The Airbus affair refers to allegations of secret commissions paid to members of the Government of Canada during the term of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney (1984–93), in exchange for then- crown corporation Air Canada's purchase of a large number ...
, Brian Mulroney and
Karlheinz Schreiber Karlheinz Schreiber (born 25 March 1934) is a German and Canadian citizen, an industrialist, lobbyist, fundraiser, arms dealer and businessman. He has been in the news regarding his alleged role in the 1999 CDU contributions scandal in Germany, ...
* William Francis Melchert-Dinkel *
Airport Security Airport security includes the techniques and methods used in an attempt to protect passengers, staff, aircraft, and airport property from malicious harm, crime, terrorism, and other threats. Aviation security is a combination of measures and hum ...
* Al-Qaeda in Europe *
Benny Hinn Toufik Benedictus "Benny" Hinn (born 3 December 1952) is an Israeli Christian televangelist, best known for his regular "Miracle Crusades"— revival meeting or faith healing summits that are usually held in stadiums in major cities, which are ...
* Brendan Burke * Brandon Crisp *
Chris Benoit Christopher Michael Benoit (; May 21, 1967 – June 24, 2007) was a Canadian professional wrestler. He worked for various pro-wrestling promotions during his 22-year career including most notably the World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestlin ...
("Wrestler: Fight to the Death") *
Chuckie Akenz Chuckie Nguyen (January 21, 1986), better known by his stage name of C-A, and formerly as Chuckie Akenz, is a Canadian rapper of Vietnamese descent. He grew up in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Chuckie rose to n ...
* Charles Manson and the Manson Family *
Scouts Canada Scouts Canada is a Canadian Scouting association providing programs for young people, aged 5 to 26, with the stated aim "to help develop well rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world". Scouts Canada, in affiliation with the French ...
*
Communications Security Establishment The Communications Security Establishment (CSE; french: Centre de la sécurité des télécommunications, ''CST''), formerly (from 2008-2014) called the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC), is the Government of Canada's national ...
* David Frost and
Mike Danton Michael Sage Danton ('' né'' Jefferson, October 21, 1980) is a Canadian-Polish former professional ice hockey player who last played for Rivière-du-Loup 3L in the LNAH. Danton played for the New Jersey Devils and St. Louis Blues of the Natio ...
*
École Polytechnique massacre École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
("Montreal Massacre – Legacy of Pain") *
Jian Ghomeshi Jian Ghomeshi (born June 9, 1967) is a British-born Persian-Canadian broadcaster, writer, musician, producer and former CBC personality. From 1990 to 2000, he was a vocalist and drummer in the Thornhill-based folk-pop band Moxy Früvous. In ...
*
Rob Ford Robert Bruce Ford (May 28, 1969 – March 22, 2016) was a Canadian politician and businessman who served as the 64th mayor of Toronto from 2010 to 2014. Before and after his term as mayor, Ford was a city councillor representing Ward 2 Etobi ...
* Dick Cheney * MIM-104 Patriot and its ineffectiveness during the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
as a missile defense system *
Guy Paul Morin Guy Paul Morin is a Canadian who was wrongly convicted of the October 1984 rape and murder of his nine-year-old next-door neighbour, Christine Jessop of Queensville, north of Toronto, Ontario. DNA testing led to a subsequent overturning of t ...
*
Suicide of Amanda Todd Amanda Michelle Todd (November 27, 1996 – October 10, 2012) was a 15-year-old Canadian student and victim of cyberbullying who hanged herself at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. Before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube ...
*
Jane and Finch Jane and Finch is a neighbourhood located in the northwest end of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in the district of North York. Centred at the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue West, the area is roughly bounded by Highway 400 to the wes ...
*
Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lotteries, charity and Aboriginal ...
("Luck of the Draw") * Pierre Vallières *
Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...
in Bountiful, British Columbia *
PROFUNC PROFUNC, an acronym for "PROminent FUNCtionaries of the communist party", was a Classified information, top secret Government of Canada project to identify and observe suspected Communism in Canada, Canadian communists and Crypto-communism, crypto ...
* Steven Truscott * ''
To Sell a War ''To Sell a War'' is a documentary film, first aired in December 1992 as part of CBC programme '' The Fifth Estate''. The programme was directed and produced by Neil Docherty. It chronicles the Citizens for a Free Kuwait campaign efforts to spi ...
'' * Tunagate *
David Russell Williams David Russell Williams (born March 7, 1963) is a convicted double-murderer and former colonel of the Canadian Armed Forces who was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for 25 years in 2010. In late January 2010, the Ontario Pro ...
* Mark Twitchell *
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
* Iglesia ni Cristo * Julian Assange


Season 34 (2008–09)

The 2008–09 television season was the 34th season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 36 (2010–11)

The 2010–11 television season was the 36th season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 37 (2011–12)

The 2011–12 television season was the 37th season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 38 (2012–13)

The 2012–13 television season was the 38th season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 39 (2013–14)

The 2013–14 television season was the 39th season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 43 (2017–18)

The 2017–18 television season was the 43rd season of ''The Fifth Estate''.


Season 45 (2019–20)

The 2019–20 television season is the 45th season of ''The Fifth Estate''. (Where two episodes appear in one program, a "/" is included between the episodes.)


Season 46 (2020–21)

The 2020–21 television season is the 46th season of ''The Fifth Estate''. (Where two episodes appear in one program, a "/" is included between the episodes.)


Awards

''The Fifth Estate'' has won many awards, including Gemini Awards—among them ten for Best Information Series—numerous domestic investigative journalism awards, many New York and Columbus awards, International Emmys, and in 2000 and 2010 the
Michener Award The Michener Award is one of the highest distinctions in Canadian journalism. The award was founded in 1970 by Roland Michener, who was Governor General of Canada at the time, and his wife Norah. The idea for the award was developed in 1969 with B ...
, Canada's top journalism prize, which is open to all media and has only one annual winner. A 2003 co-production with ''The New York Times'' and PBS's '' Frontline'' was recognized with the
Pulitzer Pulitzer may refer to: *Joseph Pulitzer, a 20th century media magnate * Pulitzer Prize, an annual U.S. journalism, literary, and music award *Pulitzer (surname) * Pulitzer, Inc., a U.S. newspaper chain *Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, a non-pr ...
, Peabody,
Polk Polk may refer to: People * James K. Polk, 11th president of the United States * Polk (name), other people with the name Places * Polk (CTA), a train station in Chicago, Illinois * Polk, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Polk, Missou ...
, and other awards. ''The Fifth Estate'' is one of two television programs (with ''The Twilight Zone'' being the first) to win an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, a prize presented to theatrical films: ''
Just Another Missing Kid ''Just Another Missing Kid'' is a 1981 Canadian documentary film, directed by John Zaritsky, about the search for a missing Ottawa teenager. Summary Eric Wilson had left his native Ottawa in July 1978 in a Volkswagen camper on a trip to Boulder, C ...
'', originally a ''The Fifth Estate'' episode, was released in theatres in the United States and won the 1982
Academy Award for Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
.


Controversies


The Savoie scandal

In 1992, ''The Fifth Estate aired an expose of Inspector
Claude Savoie ''For the policeman, please see Claude Savoie .'' Joseph Vincent Claude Savoie (July 30, 1916 – May 29, 1990) was a Canadian politician. He served in the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick A legislature is an assembly with the authori ...
of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, accusing him of being corrupt. On 21 December 1992, Savoie shot himself in his office at the RCMP's headquarters. Many felt that ''The Fifth Estate'' bore some responsibility for Savoie's suicide.
Julian Sher Julian Sher is a Canadian investigative journalist, filmmaker, author and newsroom trainer based in Montreal, Quebec. He was an investigative producer for ten years then a senior producer for five years with the CBC's '' The Fifth Estate''. He has ...
of ''The Fifth Estate'' who worked on the Savoie story stated in 2022: “I didn’t kill him, I didn’t load the gun, I didn’t put the gun to his head. He made his choices. I’m not responsible but if Dan and I had decided not to do the story, if we had not covered this stuff, would he be alive? He might have decided to kill himself when the RCMP (investigated him)...The lesson I learned from that is the consequences of our work. For many of the people we tell stories about, it’s their lives and sometimes their deaths."


Libel suit

The CBC was successfully sued for libel over an episode that aired on 27 February 1996. Two doctors were interviewed for an episode about prescription drugs. Both doctors alleged their interviews were unfairly edited to give the false impression they were involved in kickbacks, cover-ups of patient deaths and other disreputable activities. Cardiologist Martin Meyers asked for an apology plus $25,000, while researcher Frans Leenen asked for an apology plus $10,000. The CBC opted to fight the charges in court. The doctors ultimately prevailed. Myers was awarded $200,000, plus interest and costs, while Leenen won $950,000, plus interest and costs that could total over $2 million, a record for Canadian libel. The CBC has no libel insurance. Judges in both cases ruled that journalists at ''The Fifth Estate'' had twisted the facts and acted with malice, with one writing in his decision; "this was sensationalistic journalism of the worst sort and should serve as an embarrassment to this so-called 'flagship' investigative programme." The episode's host Trish Wood, producer Nicholas Regush, the researcher and executive producer David Studer were assessed
punitive Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular acti ...
and aggravated damages.


INC

The CBC and ''The Fifth Estate'' were sued in February 2019 by the Iglesia Ni Cristo after officials said one of the show's broadcasts
defamed Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...
their church, calling the show "slanderous" and acting "without evidence."
CBC News CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca ...
responded by stating they stand behind the story. The episode in question, "Church of Secrets", which aired on 11 November 2018 and was hosted by
Bob McKeown Robert Duff McKeown, (; born October 10, 1950) is a Canadian investigative reporter and former all-star and championship Gridiron football, football player. He has also worked with NBC and CBS. McKeown returned to the CBC in November 2002 to ...
, detailed the controversies surrounding the church, including accusations of financial irregularities, kidnapping, and the murder of a Canadian man. In particular, McKeown interviewed the widow of a murder victim allegedly killed by INC members after a series of verbal altercations, as well as following the story of excommunicated ministerial worker
Lowell Menorca II Lowell may refer to: Places United States * Lowell, Arkansas * Lowell, California * Lowell, Florida * Lowell, Idaho * Lowell, Indiana * Lowell, Bartholomew County, Indiana * Lowell, Maine * Lowell, Massachusetts ** Lowell National Historica ...
, who sought refugee status in Canada. The news crew also attempted for and were denied an interview with Eduardo V. Manalo after an event in
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
. During the attempt for an interview, their vehicle's tires were slashed, which McKeown suspected was an act of intimidation by INC, though an INC member denied the allegation.


Notes


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fifth Estate, The (Tv program) 1970s Canadian television news shows 1980s Canadian television news shows 1990s Canadian television news shows 2000s Canadian television news shows 2010s Canadian television news shows 2020s Canadian television news shows 2000s Canadian documentary television series 2010s Canadian documentary television series 1975 Canadian television series debuts Canadian Screen Award-winning television shows CBC News Network original programming CBC Television original programming International Emmy Awards Current Affairs & News winners Investigative documentary television series