Toronto Sun
The
Toronto Sun is an
English language daily
newspaper published in
Toronto,
Ontario,
Canada. It is published as a
tabloid and is known for its daily "Sunshine Girl" feature and for its
populist conservative editorial stance.
The
Sun was first published on
November 1,
1971, the Monday after the demise of the
Toronto Telegram, a conservative
broadsheet. As there was no publishing gap between the two papers and many writers and employees moved to the new paper, it is today generally considered as a direct continuation of the
Telegram, and the
Sun is the holder of the
Telegram archives.
The
Toronto Sun is modeled on British tabloid journalism, even borrowing the name of
The Sun newspaper published in London, and some of the features, including the
Sunshine Girl, who was on the same page as the British paper. (The Toronto paper, however, has never had a "topless" Sunshine Girl, unlike its British counterpart.) News stories in the tabloid style tend to be much shorter than those in other newspapers, and the language Sun journalists' use tends to be simpler and more conversational than language used in other newspapers.
As of 2003, the
Sun reportedly had a Monday through Saturday circulation of 200,000 papers and Sunday circulation of 400,000.
The
Sun is owned by
Sun Media, a subsidiary of
Quebecor.
The
Toronto Sun's first editor was
Peter Worthington who remains a columnist for the paper. He was succeeded by
Barbara Amiel who, in turn, was succeeded by
John Downing.
Toronto Sun headlines are often blatantly editorialized and make heavy use of sensationalist and vernacular language. On September 12, 2001, the paper's front page featured only an image of the
previous day's events and the headline, "BASTARDS!". The paper has frequently used such tactics when covering events in the political arena. For example, the day following a federal election call by
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin of the
Liberal Party of Canada on May 24, 2004, the
Sun, which is arguably the staunchest and most vocal opponent of the Liberals of any media outlet in Canada, ran a front-page picture of Mr. Martin along with the headline "Throw the Bums Out!". Several weeks prior to that headline, when former
Progressive Conservative Party leader
Joe Clark insinuated he would support the Liberals, rather than the newly-minted
Conservative Party of Canada, in an impending federal election, the headline in the Sun the following day read "Joe Blows". In addition to its headlines, the front page tends to consist of news that is generally inconsequential, but sensationalized. On the verge of the Iraq war, the headline for the Toronto Star was "Faces on the Verge of War", and the headline for the Toronto Sun was "NOLAN A LEAF", showcasing a hockey trade from the San Jose Sharks to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The
Sun has also at times come under fire for its envelope-pushing editorial content. For example, on July 23, 2004, editorial cartoonist
Andy Donato provoked a significant degree of public criticism for depicting Toronto Mayor
David Miller as
Adolf Hitler, after Mr. Miller invoked closure on a debate at city hall. After some initial resistance, Senior Associate Editor
Lorrie Goldstein ultimately apologized for the cartoon.
The paper, which boasts the slogan "Toronto's Other Voice" (also once called "The Little Paper that Grew") acquired a television station in 2005.
SUN TV is the new face of Toronto 1, an ill-fated experiment by
Craig Media.
Editorially, the paper tends to side with the "average" or "ordinary" person in government and taxation topics, generally following the positions of neo-conservatism in the United States on economic issues and traditional Canadian/British conservatism on social issues. Editorials promote individualism, self-reliance, a strong military, support for troops and veterans, and support for the United States. Editorials condemn, whether true or not, high taxes and government waste. Other common issues in the Sun are opposition to gay marriage and high gas prices. Columnists tend to make appeals to "common sense" in their readers.
The
Toronto Sun's format has given rise to sister Sun tabloids in major markets across Canada, namely the
Edmonton Sun, the
Calgary Sun, the
Ottawa Sun and most recently the
Brampton Sun and
York Sun, weekend-only papers distributed as sections of the Toronto edition. The
Winnipeg Sun was originally launched by independent interests, only later coming under common ownership to the
Toronto Sun, which subsequently elicited a redesign in Sun Media style.
The
Vancouver Sun is not owned by
Sun Media, but by
CanWest Global. The
Vancouver Sun is a broadsheet, not a tabloid; the
Vancouver Province, also owned by CanWest Global, is that market's traditional tabloid daily.
The
TorontoSun.com website accurately reflects the editorial voice of the print edition.
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Charles Adler, columnist
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Christina Blizzard, Queen's Park columnist
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Mark Bonokoski, columnist
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Sheila Copps, columnist
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Michael Coren, columnist
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John Crosbie, columnist
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Andy Donato, editorial cartoonist (semi-retired)
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John Downing, columnist, former editor
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Doug Fisher, Ottawa columnist
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Rachel Giese, columnist
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Lorrie Goldstein, Senior Associate Editor, columnist
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George Gross, Corporate Sports Editor, columnist
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Max Haines, Crime Flashback
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Sue-Anne Levy, municipal affairs columnist
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Rachel Marsden, columnist
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Sid Ryan, columnist
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Jim Slotek, film critic
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Greg Weston, columnist
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Peter Worthington, columnist, former editor
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Eric Margolis, international affairs columnist, contributing editor
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Barbara Amiel*
Joan Barfoot, reporter
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Mark Bourrie, reporter
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Christie Blatchford, columnist
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Jim Brown, manager
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Douglas Creighton, founding publisher
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Paul Hellyer, columnist and founding investor
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George Jonas, columnist
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J. Douglas MacFarlane*
Judi McLeod, reporter
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Heather Mallick, editor and columnist
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Lois Maxwell, columnist
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Ben Mulroney, columnist
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Paul Rimstead, columnist
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Laura Sabia, columnist
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Joan Sutton, columnist
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John Sakamoto, music writer ("
Anti-Hit List")
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Walter Stewart, columnist
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Michael Taube, columnist
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John Tory, executive
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Garth Turner, business editor
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List of media outlets in Toronto*
The Sun (newspaper) - The original UK version
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Toronto Sun Homepage*
Article on the Sun - includes rough circulation info
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Newseum.org - See today's frontpage
