In the city of Toronto, the dawn of the 20th century was the best of times – if you were fortunate enough to be rich. But for the city's poor, it was the worst of times: starving women and children huddled in grim shanties just steps from the splendour of city hall.

Few members of Toronto's wealthy elite showed concern for their plight – and so it fell to a shy, Bible-quoting newspaperman to champion the cause of the disadvantaged and destitute. Joseph E. Atkinson would spend a lifetime preaching social justice. His pulpit? The Star, a daily newspaper read religiously to this day by thousands – and both feared and loathed by some of the country's most powerful men and women.

Fighting Words: The Social Crusades of Joseph E. Atkinson, is an hour-long documentary that chronicles the tumultuous life and times of the legendary “Holy Joe.” VisionTV presents the film's world television premiere on Wednesday, April 19 at 10 p.m. ET. The broadcast repeats on Thursday, April 20 at 11 p.m. ET.

Joseph E. Atkinson was born near Newcastle, Ont. in 1865, the eighth child of a poor but devout British immigrant family. Privation and tragedy were childhood companions, and would mark him for life.

Though he once dreamed of becoming a Methodist minister, Atkinson found his true calling in journalism. By the 1890s, he had become a star reporter in Toronto for The Globe. It was there that he met and fell in love with trailblazing female journalist Elmina Elliott, who would become his wife in 1892.

In 1899, wealthy supporters of Liberal Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier bought the struggling Toronto Evening Star (circulation: 7,000), hoping to turn the paper into a Liberal beachhead in a city dominated by the Conservative elite. They tapped Atkinson to run the operation.

Under his leadership, The Star went beyond expectations of its powerful backers – in more ways than one. Atkinson displayed a knack for sensationalism that quickly reversed the paper's financial fortunes, garnering it the largest circulation of any daily in the country (a distinction it still holds today). But he also proved less pliable than party politicians had hoped. As The Star prospered, Atkinson asserted ever greater independence, focusing the paper's energies on what he considered its most important mission: bettering the lives of the poor in a city where two children in five did not survive to see their first birthday.

Atkinson and his wife Elmina (often cited as the “conscience” of the paper and the “hidden power” behind his rise to prominence) were passionately committed to the “Social Gospel” movement of the early 20th century, which advocated applying Christian principles to correcting social ills.

In addition to exposing the realities of life in Toronto's slums and campaigning for clean water and pasteurized milk, Atkinson and his paper took up many progressive social causes, from unemployment insurance to old age pensions. During his years at the helm The Star also launched two charitable programs for children – the Fresh Air Fund and the Santa Claus Fund – that continue to this day.

Atkinson infuriated much of the Canadian establishment with his crusades – not least The Star 's exposés of price-fixing cartels, its incessant editorializing for a wealth tax to pay for social programs, and its support for labour unions (though Atkinson himself resisted unionizing at The Star). “Holy Joe” was ostracized by Toronto's rich and powerful, and to this day many hard-line conservatives vilify his name. But to the day he died in 1948, Atkinson never relented.

Fighting Words features seldom-seen archival images, meticulous period recreations, and insights from historians, journalists and Atkinson family members.

Michael Pieri is the executive producer, and veteran documentary filmmaker Paul Dalby (Historylands) wrote and directed. Broadcaster Jill Dempsey is the narrator.