Torstar Corporation is more than doubling its pool of reporters at its western Canadian Metro free daily newspapers. While other newspaper entities are scaling back in light of competition from online-only publications, the move puts the publisher in direct digital competition with one of its biggest rivals, namely Postmedia Network Canada. The initiative represents a major investment in journalism outside of the company’s Toronto headquarters, said Torstar CEO John Boynton. Twenty reporters are being added to the current 15 at the Metros in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton, with an undisclosed number of people added in Toronto to act as a support team. “It’s an exciting day for news in Canada,” he said in an interview. “Everybody seems to be going one way, which is a slow, eventual, continual decline in costs and a degradation of the product, and a retraction. I think we’re going in completely the opposite direction – which is, we’re going to invest in what we do best.”
Boynton said that the moves are designed to win new readers as well as lure audiences from existing publications. He wouldn’t reveal financial details and said no deadline has been set to determine if the initiative will be successful or not. “This is not a newspaper launch. This is a ‘news’ launch in those markets,” said Boynton. “And it’s a digital-first launch.” He said the newspapers will be used to direct readers to city-specific versions of thestar.com that will feature regional news, along with national and international news and columns. Consumers outside the target markets will see a national edition of thestar.com. Boynton said Metro Halifax is included in the transformation. Both the Halifax and Toronto Metros will be re-branded as StarMetro and will have enhanced digital news offerings.
(Editor’s note: Congratulations to my former employer for its initiatives in bringing more investigative reporting to Canada, and combating this self-serving “fake news” false narrative from U.S. president Donald Trump, who in my opinion is the USA’s foremost liar-in-chief. When I worked as a writer and head writer in the Star’s Communications Department, not once in almost 20 years was I told in any way how to write an article or what approach to take. Any by the way, if a dispute ever arose, the American Newspaper Guild, our trade union at that time, would make sure that proper, fact-based guidelines were followed.)
Torstar more than doubles its pool of reporters in Western Canada
