Victor Malarek
Victor Malarek is known to most Canadians as a tough, hard-hitting investigative journalist who is willing to delve into the stories revealing the worst side of human nature.Often described as a tough crusading reporter, Malarek began his career in journalism in 1970 as a crime reporter at The Montreal Star. In 1976, he was hired by The Globe and Mail, Canada’s National Newspaper where his work garnered an unprecedented three Michener Awards for meritorious public service journalism. In 1990, Malarek was recruited by CBC to co-host its current affairs show: the fifth estate, where he was awarded a Gemini in 1997 as Canada’s top broadcast journalist, as. Well as a fourth Michener Award. Malarek joined CTV’s W5 in 2000 as its senior investigative reporter where his documentaries won four Canadian Screen Awards. He retired in 2017.
In his 27 years in television, he has worked on more than 325 investigative documentaries. He has reported from across Canada, the United States, Australia, and the European Union, as well as Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iran, Kurdistan, Ethiopia, Somalia, South-East Asia, and Central and South America.
Malarek is the author of six non-fiction books: his internationally acclaimed The Natashas: Inside the Global Sex trade, (published in a dozen countries); The Johns: Sex for Sale and the Men who Buy It; Gut Instinct; Merchants of Misery; Haven’s Gate; and his best-selling autobiography Hey Malarek! It documents his troubled and tumultuous childhood and teenage years. In 1988, it was adapted into a feature film titled Malarek.
A second movie, Target Number One, starring Josh Hartnett in the role of Malarek, was released in 2020 in Canada, the U.S., Britain and France.
In 2014, Malarek decided to go independent, publishing his first fiction – Orphanage 41 with Friesen Press.