''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 CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French- ...

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 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 ...

'', '' The Globe and Mail'', 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 ed ...

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 in ...

, a prize presented to theatrical films: '' Just Another Missing Kid'', 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 bestow ...

Journalists

Journalists associated with the show, past and present, include: *

Theresa Burke Theresa Frances Veronica Burke is a Canadian writer, journalist and producer for the CBC's television newsmagazine, '' The Fifth Estate''. She was born in Toronto. On May 20, 1999, Burke was on the telephone with bank robber Ty Conn, an escapee ...

* 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 *

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 Hana Gartner CM is a retired Canadian investigative journalist who is best known as the host and interviewer of several programs for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Early life and education Gartner was born in 1948 in Prague, Czechoslovak ...

* Ron Haggart * Bob Johnstone * Mark Kelley * Joe MacAnthony * Linden MacIntyre * Bob McKeown * Sheila MacVicar * Victor Malarek * Eric Malling *

Habiba Nosheen Habiba Nosheen ( ur, ) is an Investigative journalist. Her film '' Outlawed in Pakistan'' premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2013 and was called "among the standouts" of Sundance by the ''Los Angeles Times''. A longer version of the film air ...

* Ian Parker * Francine Pelletier * Sally Reardon *

Peter Reilly Peter Reilly (26 November 1933 – 15 March 1977) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was a broadcaster and journalist by career. Career He was elected at the Ottawa West riding in the ...

* Glenn Sarty * David Studer * Robin Taylor *

Warner Troyer Warner Troyer (6 January 1932 – 15 September 1991) was a Canadian broadcast journalist and writer. Troyer was born in Cochrane, Ontario, the son of Gordon Troyer, a Presbyterian circuit minister. He lost his leg at a young age, and later worke ...

* Anna Maria Tremonti * 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 Martin Brian Mulroney ( ; born March 20, 1939) is a Canadian lawyer, businessman, and politician who served as the 18th prime minister of Canada from 1984 to 1993. Born in the eastern Quebec city of Baie-Comeau, Mulroney studied political ...

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 hu ...

Al-Qaeda Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremism, Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arab, Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military ta ...

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 l ...

Brendan Burke Brendan Gilmore Burke (December 8, 1988 – February 5, 2010) was an athlete and student manager at Miami University for the RedHawks men's ice hockey team. The youngest son of Brian Burke, former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, lo ...

Brandon Crisp Brandon Emmett Crisp (January 18, 1993 – c. October 13, 2008) was a Canadian teenage boy who disappeared on October 13, 2008, when he ran away from his home in Barrie, Ontario, Canada after his parents took away his Xbox 360 video game console du ...

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 Wrestling ...

("Wrestler: Fight to the Death") * Chuckie Akenz *

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...

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 Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ...

and Mike Danton *

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. I ...

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 Etob ...

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...

MIM-104 Patriot The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile (SAM) system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied states. It is manufactured by the U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and derives its name from the radar compon ...

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 * Suicide of Amanda Todd * Jane and Finch *

Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, known for corporate branding purposes simply as OLG since 2006, is a Crown corporations of Canada, Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario, Canada. It is responsible for the province's lottery ...

("Luck of the Draw") * Pierre Vallières *

Polygamy Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of 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 marri ...

in Bountiful, British Columbia * PROFUNC * Steven Truscott * '' To Sell a War'' *

Tunagate Tunagate was a 1985 Canadian political scandal involving large quantities of tuna that had been declared unfit for human consumption that were sold to the public under order of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, John Fraser. The story broke on ...

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 ...

* Iglesia ni Cristo *

Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army i ...

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 Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United State ...

s—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 ...

, 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, 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, Missouri ...

, and other awards. ''The Fifth Estate'' is one of two television programs (with ''The Twilight Zone'' being the first) to win an

, a prize presented to theatrical films: '' Just Another Missing Kid'', originally a ''The Fifth Estate'' episode, was released in theatres in the United States and won the 1982

Controversies

The Savoie scandal

In 1992, ''The Fifth Estate aired an expose of Inspector Claude Savoie 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 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 defi ...

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 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 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.c ...

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, detailed the controversies surrounding the church, including accusations of financial irregularities, kidnapping, and

the murder "The Murder" is a cinematic score written and composed by Bernard Herrmann for the horror-thriller film ''Psycho'' (1960) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The score, its second movement in particular, is well recognized as one of the most famous sco ...

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, 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