Toronto Star
The
Toronto Star is
Canada's highest circulation newspaper, though its print edition is distributed almost entirely within
Ontario. Its parent company,
Torstar, owns dozens of regional and community newspapers. Torstar also owns
Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, the world's leading publisher of romance novels. Torstar has received regulatory approval to purchase 20% of
Bell Globemedia, owners of the
CTV television network and
The Globe and Mail.
The
Star (originally known as The
Evening Star and then The
Toronto Daily Star) was created in
1892 by striking
Afternoon News printers and writers. The paper did poorly in its first few years, but it prospered under
Joseph "Holy Joe" Atkinson, editor from
1899 until his death in
1948.
Atkinson had a strong social conscience. He championed many causes that would come to be associated with the modern
welfare state: old age pensions, unemployment insurance and health care. The Government of Canada Digital Collections website describes Atkinson as "a ‘radical' in the best sense of that term. He constantly urged governments in Canada, through their humanitarian, educational, economic, and social programs, to care for less fortunate Canadians {and) to help individuals develop their abilities to the highest possible levels... Under Atkinson's direction, The
Star was unique among North American newspapers in its consistent, ongoing advocacy of the interests of ordinary people. The friendship of Atkinson, the publisher, with
Mackenzie King, the prime minister, was a major influence on the development of Canadian social policy."
But Atkinson was also a shrewd businessman who became the controlling shareholder of The
Star and amassed a considerable personal fortune. The
Toronto Daily Star was frequently criticized for practicing the
yellow journalism of its era. For decades, the paper included heavy doses of crime and sensationalism, along with crusading zeal for social change.
Beginning in the mid-50's, the
Star sought increased respectability by elevating professional standards and avoiding the sensational excesses of the past. It hired some of the country's most respected journalists and advocated expansion of the welfare state.
In 1971, The
Toronto Daily Star was re-named The
Toronto Star and moved to a modern office tower at 1
Yonge Street and Queens Quay. The new building originally housed the paper's presses. The printing plant was moved outside the city to
Vaughan in 1992. The original
Star Building at 80 King Street West has been demolished.
Shortly before his death in 1948, Atkinson had transferred ownership of the paper to a charitable organization given the mandate of continuing the paper's liberal tradition. Ontario's Conservative government passed a law barring charitable organizations from owning large parts of profit-making businesses. The law required the
Star to be sold. The trustees of the charitable organization cirumvented the law by buying the paper themselves and swearing before The Ontario Supreme Court to continue the Atkinson Principles:
* A Strong, United and Independent Canada
* Social Justice
* Individual and Civil Liberties
* Community and Civic Engagement
* The Rights of Working People
* The Necessary Role of Government
The Atkinson Principles continue to guide the paper to this day. A recent editorial was entitled "Persistent poverty shames this nation." In February, 2006
Star media columnist
Antonia Zerbisias wrote on her
blog: "...we all have the Atkinson Principles tattooed on our butts. Fine with me. At least we are upfront about our values, and they almost always work in favour of building a better Canada."
Today, the Star remains to the left of centre in the Canadian context. The paper's precise position in the political spectrum is hotly debated. The
Star finds room for left-leaning
columnists and op-ed commentators who would be consigned to more marginal publications or websites in the United States. The paper has long been a voice of Canadian nationalism and vigorously opposed
free trade with the United States in the 1980's. But editorial positions sometimes surprise readers. The
Star opposes the
Iraq War and most policies of
George W. Bush, but supported Canadian participation in U.S. continental missile defense. Recent editorials have denounced
political correctness at Canadian universities and opposed
proportional representation.
The paper has almost always endorsed the
Liberal Party federally. The
Star was the only major daily to do so in the
2006 federal election while
many of the other major papers endorsed the Conservatives. The
Star has never endorsed the more left-wing
New Democratic Party, though it came close to doing so provincially in 1990. The paper endorsed the
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in many of the provincial elections from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Star journalist
Claire Hoy coined the nickname "Big Blue Machine" in 1971 to describe the PC political organization which frequently
ran on a moderate agenda.
The
Star is considered to be one of the more left-leaning of the major North American dailies. Its editorialists and columnists usually avoid righteous indignation or anger, instead preferring earnest exhortation, appeals to compassion, and proposing reforms to further the common good. Supporters praise the
Star 's continuing commitment to its founding principles, applauding its ability to attract a large readership for many stories unlikely to printed elsewhere.
Detractors call the newspaper "The
Red Star," "the people's paper" or "the only paper in the world edited by a dead man" (a derisive reference to The Atkinson Principles.) Critics also target formulaic "sob sister" stories that focus on the plight of the poor and downtrodden. In contrast, the board of directors of the paper's parent company, Torstar, includes distinguished business leaders, a forner president of the
University of Toronto, a former
Supreme Court of Canada justice and a former executive of
The New York Times.
The
Star says it favours an inclusive, "big tent" approach, not wishing to attract one group of readers at the expense of others. It publishes special sections for
Chinese New Year and
Gay Pride Week, along with weekly sections entitled Condo Living and Shopping. Each day's newspaper is thick, often running to six or more ad-stuffed sections. A particular strength is local coverage of Toronto. In recent years, the newspaper has vigorously promoted "a new deal for cities."
Unlike some of its more conservative competitors, the paper is a substantial commercial success. The
Star 's commanding circulation lead in Ontario make it a "must buy" for most advertisers. Its profit margin approaches 15%; some competitors lose money, are only marginally profitable, or do not break out earnings in a way that makes comparison possible. Throughout its history, the
Star has been criticized for inflating circulation through bulk sales at discount rates.
The
Star is the only Canadian newspaper that employs a public editor (
ombudsman). Other notable features include an immigration/diversity reporter, a community editorial board, and charitable campaigns that solicit contributions from readers.
Notable past employees of the
Star include
Pierre Berton,
Greg Clarke,
Nathan Cohen,
Milt Dunnell,
Ernest Hemingway,
Naomi Klein,
Michele Landsberg,
Duncan MacPherson,
Peter C. Newman,
Robert Service,
Walter Stewart, and
Charles Templeton. Among its best known current columnists are
Geoff Baker,
Linwood Barclay,
Rosie Dimanno,
Graham Fraser,
Carol Goar,
Richard Gwyn,
Chantal Hebert,
Royson James,
Linda McQuaig,
Cleo Paskal,
Haroon Siddiqui,
Ellie Tesher,
James Travers,
Thomas Walkon, and
Antonia Zerbisias.
Superman and The Star
Joe Shuster, one of the two creators of
Superman, worked for the
Star as a paperboy in the 1920's. Shuster named Clark Kent's paper The
Daily Star in honour of The
Toronto Daily Star. The name of Kent's paper was later be changed to The
Daily Planet.
* Atkinson Biography, Government of Canada wesbite http://collections.ic.gc.ca/heirloom_series/volume4/88-91.htm
*
The Toronto StarHistory of the Toronto Star.
*Harkness, Ross (1963)
J.E. Atkinson of the Star, Toronto: University of Toronto Press
*
* Walkom, Thomas (1994)
Rae Days, Toronto: Key Porter Books, ISBN I-55013-598-8
*
The Atkinson Principles*
Star article about Superman and the Star
