CBC Asks

Before that award-winning story appears on The National, that heart-breaking report is on the World at Six or that important expos appears on your smartphone, CBC journalists have discussed, deliberated and debated the best way to tell our stories to Canadians.

There may be ethical considerations at play. Or maybe we have to think twice before putting a reporter in harm's way.  How do we get behind the hype? And of course, Canada's a very big country, so how much should we invest in a story that may or may not pan out?

In journalism, the answers are rarely clear-cut and it's not an easy process. But it is always a fascinating one, and we want to share it with you.

That's the motivation behind the event being held on Friday, Sept. 30: CBC Asks: Getting The Real Story - How do we do it?

CBC's Chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge will lead the conversation with five of Canada's finest journalists. They have travelled to some of the world's most dangerous hotspots including the heart of the Ebola outbreak. They have made politicians sweat and revealed how institutions tried to conceal allegations of sexual abuse.  They have reported about the tragedy of Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women. They are covering the most highly contentious - and entertaining -  U.S. election campaign in history.

And now they want to speak to you.

Emmy-award winning senior correspondent Adrienne Arsenault's assignments have included disasters, conflicts, politics, sports and basic human dramas. Arsenault won a 2015 International Emmy for her work covering the Ebola crisis.

Recently taking over the microphone at CBC Radio One's Cross Country Checkup, Duncan McCue has been a reporter for CBC News for over 15 years. McCue was part of a CBC News investigation into missing and murdered Indigenous women that won numerous honours - including the Hillman Award for Investigative Journalism.

Senior Investigative Journalist Diana Swain has won numerous awards and widespread recognition for her ground-breaking reports, including the handling of sexual abuse at Scouts Canada. And last year she began investigating how Canadian post-secondary institutions manage allegations of assault on campus. Diana will have a new weekly program, The Investigators, which is launching on CBC News Network on Saturday, October 15th. 

Our Senior Correspondent based in Washington, Paul Hunter, has reported from Haiti, the Middle East and with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. He is currently covering a story followed around the world: Donald Trump, and the 2016 U.S. Election. Hunter won an RTDNA award for his coverage of the Boston bombings in 2013.

Rosemary Barton is the award-winning host of CBC News Network's daily political show, Power & Politics, and is one of the best political journalists in the country. She also has a long history of excellence in the field. Barton covered the 2008 and 2011 federal elections, as well as a number of federal leadership campaigns as a national reporter with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. 

Getting to the story is often much more than what it seems. Here's your chance to ask the journalists about the challenges they face in the field, and away from the cameras. Tweet your questions using #CBCasks. Join our Facebook Live on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 pm ET or watch our livestream at cbcnews.ca and YouTube.com/cbcnews. 

Or if you're in the Toronto area, join us at the Barbara Frum Atrium in the Toronto Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front St. West. Doors open at 6 pm.