For the record: John Honderich

He is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of Ontario, holds degrees in political science and law and is a hard-working family man. But for me (and most former Toronto Star employees), he personifies the newspaper’s long-standing editorial values of fairness through balanced journalism – and giving a voice to those in our society who simply have none. John Honderich was publisher of the Toronto Star from 1994 to 2004. We used to say that John “Bled Star Blue.” That passion was infectious. But more than that, John was the type of person who seemed to know every employee’s name and what he or she did. And while other Star executives have come and gone, John has remained a constant presence and guiding force as current Chair on Torstar’s (the parent company’s) Board of Directors. So who better to ask about the future of newspapers?

How has Canada’s largest newspaper managed to stay on top in this challenging economy?

First and foremost, we have not and will never compromise on the editorial content creation in our newspaper. In fact, we are constantly trying to increase and improve our coverage. For example, we included the New York Times in our Sunday paper and it has been a resounding success with both readers and advertisers. Starweek Magazine at one point seemed to be sagging. So we improved the quality and added more detailed content, hoping that readers would recognize this and wouldn’t mind paying for better quality. The results have been beyond our expectations. Needless to say, we have also re-organized our newsroom and poured more resources into our online newspaper, thestar.com.

What strategies do other newspapers need to employ to survive?

The bottom line is that, to maintain competitiveness, newspapers must constantly adapt to changing technology. They must be as digitally advanced as possible and change with the expectations of their readers. Today, information on any platform is the name of the game. We realize this and will continue to be an important source of in-depth news – both printed and online. In fact, the majority of electronic media that have a relatively small newsroom staff, especially radio, actually get their news and other information from newspapers. It’s called “Rip & Read” and it’s been going on, it seems, forever. So in that regard, newspapers will always be viewed as the prime source of detailed hard news that people can trust.

Looking at how the internet has changed the way people receive information, what do you think the future of newspapers looks like?

Hand-held devices are becoming more relevant as people are getting more and more information from them. More importantly, mobile readers now expect this type of service. Again, it’s up to us to adapt and fulfill these expectations – not just for our readers but for our advertisers. When our reporters go out into the field, we expect them to be digitally connected all the time to meet tighter deadlines. It’s really a constant, evolving and very necessary process.

In the past few years I’ve noticed more “old-time” journalism – more Star exclusives, investigative reporting and uncovering injustices. Is this by design or are there just more scammers out there?

I don’t know if there is actually more fraud. What I can tell you is that investigative reporting has always been one of our strengths, often separating us from other newspapers, and we place a huge emphasis on it. In fact, we have about half a dozen veteran reporters writing exclusively on exposing these types of injustices in our society. In my opinion, their reports and exposés have been nothing short of remarkable. I believe our readers appreciate this. Not surprisingly, this has encouraged them to turn to us to report more fraud and scams.

Any other personal observations or comments?

Without a doubt, these are challenging times for newspapers. However, ultimately, I believe that people will make their reading choices based on trust, quality and in-depth content. We have managed to maintain these ideals and this brand while continuing to adapt to changes that are exciting, and at the same time, very challenging.