Back Story

Back Story

CBC News correspondents take you behind the scenes as they cover the biggest events around the world. Personal stories from our reporters who were there while the story was breaking.

Episodes

Introducing: Recall: How to Start a Revolution

September 7, 2020 • 32 mins

The 1950s & 60s saw a wave of radical movements. Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution. The Black Panthers. Quebec and Canada had the FLQ — a showdown that dissolved into crisis. By October 1970, there were soldiers in the streets, communities on edge, kidnapping and terror in the headlines. But those frightening weeks were just the crescendo of a wave of terror and violence that was nearly a decade in the making. This series wi...

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Secrets in Sport: Mark Tewksbury and the 1992 Olympics

July 29, 2016 • 18 mins
Mark Tewksbury on gold medals and gay athletes.
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From Tragedy to Champion: Chantal Petitclerc and the 2008 Paralympics

July 22, 2016 • 14 mins
From a childhood accident to a Paralympic champion, and one of Canada's most decorated athletes.
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Inside the Munich Massacre: Byron MacDonald and the 1972 Olympics

July 4, 2016 • 13 mins
Inside the Munich Massacre and one of the worst terrorist attacks in Olympic history.
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ICYMI: Keith Boag: Tear Gas and "The Talk". Ferguson 2014

June 17, 2016 • 11 mins
Keith Boag is there as tempers flare and tear gas flies in Ferguson, Missouri over the killing of an unarmed black teenager.
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Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee: Mark Lee and Muhammad Ali, 1987.

June 6, 2016 • 17 mins
The champ. The great one. Mark Lee's Back Story on his exclusive interview with Muhammad Ali.
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The Stolen Game: Karina LeBlanc, Soccer and the 2012 Olympics

April 27, 2016 • 15 mins
Heartbreak, a questionable call and what some call a stolen game. Canada's longest serving female soccer player takes you back to the field and the London 2012 Olympics.
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ICYMI: Cremations and Car Batteries. Adrienne Arsenault, Nepal 2015

April 26, 2016 • 18 mins
Adrienne Arsenault travels to Nepal in the wake of the worst earthquake that country has seen in more than 80 years.
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From hero to zero in 9.79 seconds: Scott Russell and the 1988 Seoul Olympics

February 4, 2016 • 14 mins
Scott Russell's Back Story on the Ben Johnson doping scandal and the dirtiest race in history.
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The boy on the beach: Gillian Findlay, 2015

January 10, 2016 • 13 mins
The photo seen around the world, and the family left mourning. From Istanbul, Gillian Findlay's Back Story "The boy on the beach".
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Escape from Egypt: Mohamed Fahmy, 2013

January 3, 2016 • 10 mins
After spending more than 400 days in an Egyptian prison, this is Mohamed Fahmy's Back Story.
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The Power of the Pope: Steven D'Souza and the papal conclave, 2013

December 20, 2015 • 10 mins
Steven D'Souza was there as thousands cheered, white smoke bellowed and a new pope was chosen.
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Connie Walker and the first­hand legacy of residential schools.

December 14, 2015 • 14 mins
Connie Walker has reported extensively on Canada's residential schools, but she's also seen the effects on her family first hand.
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Benazir Bhutto: Over the decades. Carol Off, 1986

December 7, 2015 • 17 mins
In 1986, Carol Off sold most of her belongings to buy a plane ticket to Pakistan with the hope of interviewing future Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. A hijacking, an uprising and a reunion decades later, this is Carol's Back Story.
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Airstrikes, bank robbers and a golden toilet: David Common and the Iraq Invasion, 2003

November 30, 2015 • 15 mins
As coalition troops marched into Iraq, and Saddam Hussein fell from power, the CBC's David Common was there.
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The rise and fall of Stephen Harper: Susan Lunn and the Federal Election, 2015

November 23, 2015 • 14 mins
From his first mandate as Prime Minister to his party's devastating loss in the last federal election, Susan Lunn gives you an inside look at the rise and fall of Stephen Harper.
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The earthquake and the aftermath: David Gutnick, Haiti, 2010

November 16, 2015 • 17 mins
The earthquake in Haiti killed thousands of people, turned buildings to rubble and made David Gutnick question the role of a journalist.
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Extra: Peter Mansbridge Inside the Tunnels at Vimy Ridge

November 11, 2015 • 6 mins
Peter Mansbridge takes you inside the tunnels at Vimy Ridge.
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A sea of oil: Paul Hunter and the BP oil spill, 2010

November 9, 2015 • 15 mins
The BP oil spill is the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. The CBC's Paul Hunter was there when black tar balls started dotting white sandy beaches. He returned five years later and shares what he saw.
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Walking Across a Continent: Nahlah Ayed and The Refugee Crisis, 2015

November 2, 2015 • 15 mins
Nahlah Ayed was on the front lines of the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.
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