The Fifth Estate is an English-language Canadian investigative documentary series that airs on the national CBC Television network.Sonya Bell, "The Fifth Estate". The Canadian Encyclopedia, September 16, 2022.
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. The show was launched in 1975 by Ron Haggart. It has engaged in co-productions with the BBC, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and often with the PBS program Frontline.
The Fifth Estate is one of two television programs (with The Twilight Zone being the first) to win an Academy Award, 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.
Every Thursday, The National airs a weekly segment that is based on the week's episode with Adrienne Arsenault introducing the segment.
Journalists The program is currently hosted by Mark Kelley and Steven D'Souza, with Ioanna Roumeliotis slated to join the show in spring 2025,Connie Thiessen, "Ioanna Roumeliotis to join CBC’s ‘The Fifth Estate’". Broadcast Dialogue, January 7, 2025. following the retirement of longtime host Bob McKeown in fall 2024.Connie Thiessen, "Bob McKeown to retire from CBC’s ‘The Fifth Estate’". Broadcast Dialogue, November 19, 2024.
Other past personalities associated with the show have included:
Bob McKeown Theresa Burke Marie Caloz Stevie Cameron Harvey Cashore Adrienne Clarkson Neil Docherty Gillian Findlay Declan Hill Hana Gartner Ron Haggart Bob Johnstone Joe MacAnthony Linden MacIntyre Sheila MacVicar Victor Malarek Eric Malling Habiba Nosheen"Emmy winner joins CBC's fifth estate". Toronto Star, September 23, 2016. Ian Parker Francine Pelletier Sally Reardon Peter Reilly Glenn Sarty David Studer Robin Taylor Warner Troyer 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, Brian Mulroney and Karlheinz Schreiber William Francis Melchert-Dinkel Airport Security Al-Qaeda in Europe Benny Hinn Brendan Burke Brandon Crisp Chris Benoit ("Wrestler: Fight to the Death") Chuckie Akenz Charles Manson and the Manson Family Scouts Canada Communications Security Establishment David Frost and Mike Danton École Polytechnique massacre ("Montreal Massacre – Legacy of Pain") Jian Ghomeshi Rob Ford Dick Cheney MIM-104 Patriot and its ineffectiveness during the Gulf War as a missile defense system Guy Paul Morin Suicide of Amanda Todd Jane and Finch Noor Chowdhury Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation ("Luck of the Draw") Pierre Vallières Polygamy in Bountiful, British Columbia PROFUNC Steven Truscott To Sell a War Tunagate David Russell Williams Mark Twitchell Donald Trump Iglesia ni Cristo Julian Assange Buffy Sainte-Marie
Season 34 (2008–09) The 2008–09 television season was the 34th season of The Fifth Estate.
EpisodeTitleOriginal air dateSubject1Disappearing ActInterview with David Reiner, a bookkeeper who turned fugitive after stealing nearly a million dollars from nonprofit day-care centres.2Inside Room 2223Shadows of DoubtThe death of Royal Military College cadet Joe Grozelle, whose disappearance in October 2003 launched a Canadian Forces National Investigation Service search.4The Girl in Saskatoon (Update)A follow-up on the unsolved murder of Alexandra Wiwcharuk, a former beauty queen in Saskatoon.5After the StormThe 2007 murder of filmmaker Helen Hill in New Orleans.6Overboard (Update)An update on the case of Laura Gainey, who was swept overboard while sailing on the Picton Castle in December 2006.7The Gospel of GreenThe efforts of German parliamentarian Hermann Scheer to increase his country's reliance on renewable-energy sources.8Head GamesThe short life expectancy of professional football players in Canada.9Where the Women Went10The Chess Master11A Death in the FamilyThe case of Bill Mullins-Johnson, who served 12 years in prison after being wrongly convicted of the rape and murder of his 6-year-old niece.12Someone Got Away With Murdercbc.ca: Someone Got Away With MurderJanuary 21, 2009Double murder of Andrea Scherpf and Bernd Göricke13Strangers in Paradise14Collateral DamageTwo men who were implicated in the 2005 shootings of four RCMP officers in Mayerthorpe, Alberta.15Powerless16Black Widow17The CodeHockey's "unwritten law" about fighting.18Top GunThe potential dangers of video-game obsession.19Staying Alive20The Elephant in the RoomThe Airbus affair and Karlheinz Schreiber's dealings.21A Fight to the Death22Amazing Grace23Bad Day in Barrhead24Life & Death in KandaharThe war in Afghanistan through the eyes of the medical professionals serving at Canada's trauma centre at the Kandahar Air Base.
Season 36 (2010–11) The 2010–11 television season was the 36th season of The Fifth Estate. EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Enemies of the StateOctober 15, 20102The ConfessionOctober 22, 20103The Fall and Rise of Theo FleuryOctober 29, 20104The Life and Death of Abdinasir DirieNovember 5, 20105Behind the WallNovember 12, 20106The Girl in the SuitcaseNovember 19, 20107The Legacy of Brendan BurkeNovember 26, 20108Presumed DeadDecember 3, 20109After the Earth ShookJanuary 7, 201110Justice for NadiaJanuary 14, 201111Death of the DonJanuary 28, 201112WikiRebelsFebruary 4, 201113Death at the OlympicsFebruary 11, 201114The Devil You KnowFebruary 18, 201115You Should Have Stayed At HomeFebruary 25, 201116MissingMarch 11, 201117Getting Off EasyMarch 18, 201118My Friend the Bank RobberMarch 25, 201119A Question of InnocenceApril 1, 2011
Season 37 (2011–12) The 2011–12 television season was the 37th season of The Fifth Estate. EpisodeTitleOriginal air dateCBC viewers1Truth and Lies: The Last Days of Osama bin LadenSeptember 9, 2011599,0002Swissair 111: The Untold StorySeptember 16, 2011775,0003Gatti-vs-GattiSeptember 23, 2011436,0004MaydaySeptember 30, 2011482,0005Colonel Gadhafi: Palace of SecretsOctober 7, 2011577,0006True ConfessionOctober 14, 2011504,0007Scout's HonourOctober 21, 2011567,0008'Til Death Do Us PartOctober 28, 2011482,0009Stories from the River's EdgeNovember 4, 2011509,00010Murder, he wroteNovember 18, 2011535,00011A Cold CaseNovember 25, 2011612,00012Holiday HellDecember 2, 2011722,00013Behind the LineDecember 9, 2011568,00014Escape From JusticeJanuary 6, 2012 853,00015Diagnosis MurderJanuary 13, 2012 646,00016The Lies People TellJanuary 20, 2012 752,00017Who's Killing the Rizzutos?January 27, 2012622,00018The Wreck of the Costa ConcordiaFebruary 3, 2012 1,317,00019The House of ShafiaFebruary 10, 2012470,00020The Lost BoysFebruary 17, 2012565,00021FearlessFebruary 24, 2012298,00022Fast BreakMarch 2, 2012203,00023Time BombMarch 9, 2012895,00024Lost on the IceMarch 23, 2012300,40025KidnappedApril 6, 20121,200,000
Season 38 (2012–13) The 2012–13 television season was the 38th season of The Fifth Estate. EpisodeTitleOriginal air date1Into the Death ZoneSeptember 12, 2012Death of Canadian Shriya Shah-Klorfine on Mt. Everest2Kingston Pen: Secrets and LiesSeptember 21, 2012Kingston Penitentiary3Runaway FighterSeptember 28, 2012Purchase of the F-35 fighter jet4The Widow's WebOctober 5, 2012So-called "black widow" Melissa Ann Shepard5The Life and Death of Gloria TaylorOctober 12, 2012Gloria Taylor, the first Canadian to have the right to ask for a doctor's assistance in dying6Whistleblowers: Moment of TruthOctober 19, 2012The fate of well-known Canadian whistleblowers7Lost in the Struggle: The Next ChapterOctober 26, 2012Return to Jane and Finch, Toronto8Lucky 7November 2, 2012The recovery of the stolen lottery win9The Elephant in the RoomNovember 9, 2012Retiring zoo elephants10Left for DeadNovember 16, 2012Struggle for survival in icy waters near Baffin Island11Lance Armstrong: Master of SpinNovember 23, 2012Lance Armstrong12Hunting MagnottaNovember 30, 2012Double murderer Luka Magnotta and whether his gruesome crimes could have been prevented13Costa Concordia: The Captain's TaleDecember 7, 2012Costa Concordia disaster14The Imperfect SpyApril 10, 2017What Jeffrey Delisle did and why15The Last RaceJanuary 18, 2013Death of Canadian ski cross competitor Nick Zoricic in World Cup competition16Death in ParadiseJanuary 25, 2013Unexplained tourist deaths may be linked to pesticide use17Target bin LadenFebruary 1, 2013Osama bin Laden18CrossfireFebruary 8, 2013The National Rifle Association's influence in the United States and Canada19The UnrepentantFebruary 22, 2013Canadian psychopaths Melbourne "Lightning" Lee, Russell Williams, Karla Homolka, and two young offenders20The VanishingMarch 1, 2013Disappearance of Wendy Ratté21Second WaveMarch 8, 2013Debris from 2011 Japanese tsunami begins to reach Canadian coasts22IronmanMarch 29, 2013Russ George's massive iron fertilization project off of BC's west coast23Mission ImprobableApril 5, 2013Cynthia Vanier, SNC-Lavalin, and an alleged plot to smuggle Saadi Gaddafi and his family into Mexico24Rate My HospitalApril 12, 2013
Season 39 (2013–14) The 2013–14 television season was the 39th season of The Fifth Estate. EpisodeTitle Original air dateSubject1The Secrets of SugarOctober 4, 20132Made in BangladeshOctober 11, 2013Textile industry in Bangladesh, triggered by the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse3The Murder and the Money TrailOctober 18, 20134Elephants on Board: A Journey to RememberOctober 25, 2013PAWS sanctuary5The Strange World of Julian AssangeNovember 1, 2013Julian Assange6The Rob Ford StoryNovember 8, 2013Rob Ford, late mayor of Toronto7The Sextortion of Amanda ToddNovember 15, 2013Suicide of Amanda Todd8The Conspiracy Files: JFK and 9/11November 22, 2013Conspiracy theories around John F. Kennedy's assassination and 9/119The Last Great EscapeNovember 29, 201310Silence of the LabsJanuary 10, 201311The Man Who Hears VoicesJanuary 17, 201412Walk the LineJanuary 22, 2014A prominent biker cop who was accused of selling secrets to the Hell's Angels13Voyage of the Black DragonJanuary 31, 2014A voyage attempted by 600 Chinese migrants to sneak into Canada in 1999.14Rabbi of the Pure Hearts: Inside Lev TahorFebruary 28, 2014Lev Tahor and alleged child abuse within a Jewish community.15The Rise and Fall of Mike DuffyMarch 7, 2014Mike Duffy and the Canadian Senate expenses scandal16Return to ParadiseMarch 14, 2014 Pesticides used in a tropical resort hotel room may have killed guests in Asia.17Dead Enough March 21, 2014Canada's varying standards for declaring death affects organ transplants18Your Tips, Our Stories March 28, 2014Stories from viewer tips: a man deceives Canadian women into supporting him financially; the Halifax death of a young blind woman is re-examined; the worst case of small-town corruption19Love and the Perfect Stranger March 28, 2014Markus Vuorinen, a Finnish former gameshow host who promised love to at least 10 women across Canada before being arrested on assault charges20The Long Way HomeMarch 28, 2014The Halifax death of a young blind woman, Holly Bartlett21Small Town ShakedownMarch 28, 2014The worst case of small-town corruption: Rita Crundwell stealing millions from the town coffers in Dixon, Illinois.
Season 43 (2017–18) The 2017–18 television season was the 43rd season of The Fifth Estate.