Cecil is an award-winning investigative journalist, book writer and educator. He has worked in print, broadcast and online journalism for more than 40 years, focusing for most of his career on investigative work. In his career at the CBC, he was an investigative producer, a senior and executive producer, a managing editor for CBC Manitoba, a director of investigative work for CBC regions, and executive producer of CBC’s flagship investigative program, The Fifth Estate. He has won Michener, Gemini, Columbus, New York Festivals and many other awards throughout his career, and was given a lifetime achievement award by RTDNA in 2019. He co-authored When Justice Fails: the David Milgaard Story, and also wrote the definitive Behind the Headlines: a History of Investigative Journalism in Canada. His latest book, released in October 2023, is called Manipulating the Message: How Powerful Forces Shape the News. Cecil has trained journalists in every province and territory, and internationally, in the principles of enterprise and investigative journalism. Since 2005, he has taught a course on Investigative Journalism at the University of Winnipeg, where he is an adjunct professor. He also teaches a course in media literacy and critical thinking at the University of Manitoba. He lives in Winnipeg.