The mini investigations you never see, and why journalism matters
The mini investigations you never see, and why journalism matters
W5 is still on hiatus until January 28 as we prepare a blockbuster second half of the season. But I want to share a little story of the power of journalism.
We get a lot of emails. Many are press releases from PR folks. A lot are very specific and personal stories from people who need a lawyer and they figure we’re the cheaper option (we usually take a pass on those). And some are worthy, multi-layer, interesting and populist ideas in the public interest.
But there are the in-between stories: stories in which people have a legitimate beef, but we’re not quite sure if they meet the standard to be a W5 story. Is it worthy of a half-hour or hour of content? Are there multiple avenues to follow and layers to strip back? Is it an example of a bigger problem? If the answer is no, it may be a legit complaint, but maybe it’s not a W5 story.
But sometimes investigative journalists can make a difference just by checking a story out – which is satisfying. Especially when it’s a matter of the little guy versus the big corporate machine. We do a lot of these mini-investigations and no one ever sees them. Maybe we should share some of those stories.
Here’s an example. Last week I got an email from Doreen. She and her husband have lived in the same house in Eastern Ontario for four decades. They’ve had one single house insurance company during that span. Until the company cancelled their policy, suddenly and coldly.
Here’s an excerpt of her complaint:
We have a situation here and we don’t know where to turn. We have been insured with Allstate Home Insurance for 43 years. We have had 3 claims during that time. Two of those claims were during the last two years. One due to water from a dishwasher and the other was roof repair due to the [wind storm] last May... As a result our premium went up 30%. Yesterday our insurance company called us to tell us they will not renew our policy and gave us until the end of day to cancel our policy. It was the coldest, almost threatening call we have ever received. We are seniors and this is extremely stressful and upsetting for us. We are now considered High Risk and cannot get insurance on our home anywhere, even though our roof is new, our appliances are new and we have a new hot water tank. Please help us.
My heart immediately went out to Doreen. If what she said was true, it doesn’t seem like she did anything wrong. Three claims in 43 years seems rather reasonable and paying all those years of premiums should entitle us to confidently make a legitimate claim without fear that we’ll be cancelled if we do. And giving her one single day to cancel – or else – certainly seemed like a move meant to intimidate and tamp down debate. Loyal customers deserve better, don’t they?
So I decided to ask the insurance company about it. Here’s an excerpt:
Hi Allstate,
I’m the executive producer of CTV News’s W5 – Canada’s longest-running investigative series. I have not spoken to this viewer, but I’m genuinely curious about the corporate logic of cancelling her policy due to two claims in 43 years. I’m not saying it’s improper, but I want to understand the decision-making process.
I went on to ask whether everyone should expect their policy to be cancelled if they make two claims and whether one day to make a decision seems reasonable to them – especially after 43 years of loyal business. And then – in an admittedly passive aggressive pot-shot at their unreasonable one-day deadline – I gave them five days to respond to me.
I sent this message to both the agent who cancelled Doreen’s policy and to a “senior public relations specialist” at Allstate. I didn’t have high hopes for a response. But I was wrong.
A couple of days later, the public relations guy sent me (and Doreen) a message. He didn’t answer any of the questions I asked, but he did send an interesting statement:
Thank you for bringing this situation to our attention. Allstate Canada has set high standards for customer service and, in this case, we did not meet those standards. We made an error in the processing of this customer policy. Our team has reached out to the customer to apologize for the error and how the matter was handled. We have a culture of continuous improvement and, as such, we will be using this situation to make changes that improve our processes.
I emailed Doreen to find out what this meant and she said that she received an emailed apology from the company ombudsman, with an offer to reinstate her policy!
She says, “Had it not been for getting the media involved, I am sure nothing would have happened. It is reassuring that we have a voice, a place that will listen to our concerns. Thank you again. Doreen.”
She sent a follow up that said, “…it would’ve been interesting to get answers to all your questions.”
Yep. But, good on Allstate to do the right thing, quickly. Too bad that sometimes it takes a journalist sniffing around to get the attention of big corporations.
Do you like these type of quick investigations? Would you want to see more of them? Let me know what you think.
Former Mississauga, Ont. mayor Hazel McCallion, nicknamed 'Hurricane Hazel,' has died. She was 101 years old. Premier Doug Ford said McCallion died peacefully at her home early Sunday morning.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummelling the Black motorist.
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
A new study that analyzes data from more than 50,000 amateur stargazers finds that artificial lighting is making the night sky about 10 per cent brighter each year.
According to a new study, showing university students the health risks of vaping through experts and personal testimonies can help deter them from using e-cigarettes.
After years of reports and allegations detailing a 'toxic' workplace, Canada's RCMP says it is trying to evolve, focusing on diversity in its organization and repairing relationships with communities as it marks its 150th anniversary.
A ceremony will be held this evening to mark the sixth anniversary of Quebec City's deadly mosque shooting. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, several senior federal cabinet ministers and Quebec Premier Francois Legault are among those expected to attend.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
While the deadline to file your taxes is months away, there are some personal tax credits Ontarians may qualify for that require some time pilfering through receipts to get them.
It has been more than 11 weeks since Ukrainian forces wrested back the village of Kalynivske, in Kherson province, from Russian occupation. But liberation has not diminished the hardship for residents, both those returning home and the ones who never left.
The Taliban on Saturday doubled down on their ban on women's education, reinforcing in a message to private universities that Afghan women are barred from taking university entry exams, according to a spokesman.
When President Joe Biden signed a bill last year to fight gun violence -- the first such measure to pass Congress in a generation -- a substantial majority supported it. But 78 per cent said they believed it would do little or nothing at all, a survey by the Pew Research Center found.
France's prime minister insisted Sunday that the government's plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is "no longer negotiable," further angering parliamentary opponents and unions who plan new mass protests and disruptive strikes this week.
Lebanon, two international oil giants and state-owned oil and gas company Qatar Energy signed an agreement Sunday that the Qatari firm will join a consortium that will search for gas in the Mediterranean Sea off Lebanon's coast.
Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos insists the federal government is going to 'work flexibly' with the provinces on the terms of a possible health-care funding deal and avoid 'micromanaging' how they deliver health care to Canadians.
The federal government has set aside billions of dollars to quickly build affordable housing across the country, but delays in construction suggest many of the projects approved for funding are missing their deadlines.
Members of Parliament are making their way back to Ottawa ahead of resuming sitting on Monday, as the city prepares to mark the one-year anniversary of the arrival of 'Freedom Convoy' protesters.
Health Canada says it will continue to recommend COVID-19 prevention drug, Evulsheld, despite U.S. FDA pulling back its emergency use authorization due to concerns around its efficacy against Omicron subvariant 'Kraken.'
Training of surgeons in Canada has taken a heavy knock from the chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, and some doctors say their clinical education has been delayed again in recent months as many hospitals across the country cancelled elective procedures to keep up with emergency care.
A new survey suggests the vast majority of Canadians have concerns about the state of the health-care system, particularly in Atlantic provinces where hospitals have struggled to maintain emergency services for months. Leger and The Association for Canadian Studies surveyed 1,554 Canadian adults over a two-day period in January.
What looks like a giant teddy bear’s face peering into space from the surface of Mars is actually a satellite image of some craters and a circular fracture, scientists say.
Nvidia Corp Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on Tuesday said that the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence will create powerful tools that require legal regulation and social norms that have yet to be worked out.
A chance discovery by an Edmonton area woman who was walking her dogs has turned out to be a massive fossilized bone that likely belonged to an Ice Age mammoth.
Actress, teacher and former senator Viola Leger has died at the age of 92. A release from management company Le Grenier musique says Leger died Saturday in Dieppe, New Brunswick.
BookTok is all abuzz with the news that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will be starring in a movie based on the bestselling romance novel, "It Ends With Us."
Italian designer Sabato De Sarno has been named the new creative director of Gucci, and will unveil his first collection during Milan Fashion Week next September, Gucci and parent company Kering announced Saturday.
Federal prosecutors are trying to prohibit FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried from privately contacting current and former employees of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange to prevent potential witness tampering in a criminal case accusing him of bilking investors and customers.
Italy's prime minister visited Libya for talks Saturday with officials from the country's west-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union. Libya is the third North African country Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited over the last two weeks as she seeks to secure new supplies of natural gas.
A pair of senior U.S. senators is urging the Biden administration to get tough with Canada for "flouting" obligations to its North American trade partners.
When 1990s suede fringe jackets started making a comeback last year, a U.K.-based vintage clothing company decided to order four tonnes of suede from a supplier in the United States. Along with that shipment came a once-in-a lifetime discovery.
When the cold and snow have people hunkering down, these outdoor enthusiasts find motivation in braving the Canadian winter through community and sport.
Only briefly challenged in the final on Sunday night, Novak Djokovic was simply better at the most crucial moments and beat Stefanos Tsitsipas for a record-extending 10th Australian Open championship and record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title overall. As a bonus, Djokovic will vault from No. 5 to No. 1 in the ATP rankings, a spot he already has held for more weeks than any other man.
Aryna Sabalenka, a 24-year-old from Belarus, who won her first Grand Slam title by coming back to beat Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 at Melbourne Park on Saturday night, using 17 aces among her 51 total winners to overcome seven double-faults.
Hyundai cars in Canada don't have the same anti-theft issue compared to those in the United States, a company spokesperson says, following reports that two American auto insurers are refusing to write policies for older models.
Progressive and State Farm, two of America's largest auto insurers, are refusing to write policies in certain cities for some older Hyundai and Kia models that have been deemed too easy to steal, according to one of the insurance companies and media reports.
