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Working at the fifth estate means confronting many ethical issues. "What we do is much like any other kind of journalism," says David Studer, executive producer of the fifth estate for the past 10 years. "But it's different because the stakes are very high. People involved in our stories face consequences of some kind, whether they're bravely coming forward with information or they're to be held accountable for their actions. The stakes are high for us, as well, because we don't want to get it wrong."
Former
host Adrienne Clarkson remembers the terrible dilemma she felt after interviewing
political opponents of Afghanistan's military dictatorship in 1978. They
were very open, inviting her into their homes and talking freely about
their activities. A short time later, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan,
which made Clarkson's story even more current.
But after reviewing the
interviews with the members of the opposition, Clarkson and the producers
elected not to use any of them. "We knew that the
fifth estate might
easily be seen even in their country," she says. "We didn't
know what would happen to them, but we felt they would be harshly dealt
with, in a manner unacceptable to Canadians. Our story had a little hole
in it, but we were able to cope with that. We never felt we had to get
the story no matter what, who cares about these people?"