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 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 Myers 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.
Iglesia ni Cristo 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 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 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. 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==