Bad Journalism in CBC’s Fifth Estate with Regards to AARC
My friends Steve and Dawn have recently been affected by some of the bad journalism presented by CBC’s The Fifth Estate. It has no doubt affected them both personally and in their community supports. In those regards here is their response which I would like to share.
Dear friends,
As you are undoubtedly aware, the CBC’s Fifth Estate recently presented a very disturbing report about the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Center (AARC), entitled “Powerlessness”. I have taken great exception to what I firmly believe to be inaccurate comments and unethical journalism. Without AARC, I do not know where my family would be today.
As such I have written a letter to the CBC, a copy of which is on my face book account, if you care to read it. In addition, I have done some searching and have found the following video and news clips that I feel will shed some true light on what many trusting CBC viewers might be feeling about AARC at this time.
Included in these is a news report on Jordon Remple who was the only”grateful” AARC graduate shown on the Fifth Estate together with his parents. Unfortunately, the Remple’s were not given much air-time despite what I understand to have been quite a lengthly interview.
Many of you spent an hour watching the Fifth Estate, please do our family and many of the other 403 families who have passed through the doors of AARC a service by spending about 13 minutes watching these.
With sincere thanks,
Dawn Driediger
Expressions
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years By Donald Miller
Eternity in Their Hearts By Don Richardson
Follow Me to Freedom By Shane Claiborne & John Perkins
Journey to Significance By Neil Cole
Organic Leadership By Niel Cole
Forge Canada
Friend of Missional
Missional Apologetics
The Missional Network
Verge Network
Thanks Dawn and Steve,
This was well researched and thoughtful of you to send. Wouldn’t it be encouraging if the number of people this reaches outweighed all the people who saw Fifth Estate? Perhaps this was just the encouragement we all needed to keep sharing our message of gratitude.
I won’t lie, there were times we felt sick about how our story of gratitude might be twisted. I just kept thinking of Dr. Vause’s admonition to just take clean up our side of the street.
Nice to all pull together as family in this. We’ve been encouraged by everyone’s support and wish they would have taken the time to contact each of us that have a blessing (many) to share as a result of our time in AARC.
We may not see each other as often now, but sure continue to love and appreciate all you have brought to our lives in love and encouragement!
Paula
February 25, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I am sorry to hear that you both have had to deal with these issues. Bonnie and I have been confronted also by similar tactics used by W5 around the euthanasia issues. It is always very sad when people allow their own ideologies to shape such reports with such obvious biases.
Please know that our prayers are with you.
February 25, 2009 at 1:35 pm
AARC is an abusive brainwashing cult and needs to be shut down
March 7, 2009 at 8:10 pm
Disgusted Guy… Hmmmm, I’d like to ask what your background to AARC is. Why do you feel it is a cult and in what ways have you encountered its existence? What is your reasoning?
On a second note I might also wonder if you truly watched the video testimonials above or just glanced over the post with your own ideological assumptions in mind.
March 8, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Bad journalism usually doesn’t win Gemini awards. For a group of people who know so much about ‘denial,’ it’s surprising that you don’t know you’re in it.
http://www.geminiawards.ca/gemini24/press/GEM24IndustryGalaWinnersOct19P1.pdf
October 22, 2009 at 6:54 pm
openyoureyes, thanks for another illustration of idiocy; the Gemini awards do not investigate. the legal system will provide the avenue for the truth on the stories told. G. Findlay and the rest of the Fifth Estate program are not going to ‘shine’ then and neither will The Academy for awarding the Gemini. But keep believing your story for the shelflife it has.
November 26, 2009 at 8:22 am
Openyoureyes . . . your condescending remarks illustrate your arrogance only. There is a vast difference between denial and being duped by an actor telling a story. I suspect legal process will result in that Gemini award getting serverely tarnished.
November 26, 2009 at 11:54 am
Our family has recently graduated from the AARC program and we will forever be grateful to Dr. Vause and all the staff there. When we arrived at AARC our family was completely devestated and destroyed. Every option we tried left us feeling helpless and hopeless. Alcoholism is a disease that does not have to be terminal but so many are afraid to wage the war on drugs and alcohol. We had watched our daughter become dark, sullen and at times violent and we began to fear for her life. We were not willing to lose our daughter to the disease. Through our time at AARC we have watched a miracle happen. Not only is our daughter living in recovery, but each member of our family has found healing, hope, peace and serenity unlike we have ever known before. AARC gave each of us the tools needed to live in recovery and a strong foundation with which to approach life. I strongly believe that parents who take their children to AARC are the creme de la creme of all parents. Denial helps the disease of alcoholism win and takes our children away, but there is something we can do…support AARC…they truly do perform miracles there. I personally stand behind AARC and all of it staff and rules. We know that our daughter has all the tools she needs now to live a healthy, happy, productive life in recovery, but it is her choice now…she didn’t have that choice before AARC
April 20, 2010 at 3:35 pm