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Toronto Sun

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Toronto Sun
File:Toronto Sun election coverage.jpg
TypeDaily newspaper
FormatTabloid
Owner(s)Sun Media
PublisherKin-Man Lee
EditorGord Walsh
Founded1971
Political alignmentPopulist, Conservative
HeadquartersToronto Sun Building,
333 King Street East, Toronto, Ontario
Websitetorontosun.com

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.

History

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 typically bikini-clad 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. Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, once attempted to purchase the Sun. The paper, which boasts the slogan "Toronto's Other Voice" (also once called "The Little Paper that Grew") acquired a television station from Craig Media in 2005. SUN TV is the new face of Toronto 1.

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, Lorrie Goldstein and Linda Williamson. The Editoral page editor today is Rob Granatstein, Glenn Garnett is Editor-in-chief and Mike Burke-Gaffney is the Managing Editor. The publisher and CEO is Kin-Man Lee.

Editorial Position

Editorially, the paper has rightwing, populist stance and claims to side with the average/ordinary person in government and taxation topics, making appeals to what it calls common sense. It generally following the positions of neo-conservatism in the United States on economic issues and traditional Canadian/British conservatism. Editorials promote individualism, self-reliance, the police, and a strong military and support for troops. For instance, cartoonist Andy Donato drew a cartoon comparing David Miller to Adolf Hitler after he refused to allow a debate on Chief Julian Fantino's contract renewal. (Senior Associate Editor Lorrie Goldstein apologized after Miller and the Canadian Jewish Congress condemned the cartoon.)[1] The Sun also criticized Miller's flip-flopping on the issue of whether to renew the yellow ribbon decals on emergency vehicles (proponents argued that the decals showed support for the troops, while opponents claimed that it was an endorsement for the war in Afghanistan). Miller initially said that he supported the troops but refused to intervene to extend the campaign beyond September; after the deaths of several soldiers he changed his position and voted for the decals.[1][2]. Editorials condemn high taxes, high gas prices, and government waste.

Despite its conservatism, the Sun has two prominent left-wing columnists, Sheila Copps and Sid Ryan. During the 2006 election, the Sun was strongly critical of a poster that attempted to link Ryan to the IRA terrorist group.

The Sun strongly criticized the Liberal Party of Canada over the Sponsorship scandal, which involved the misuse and misdirection of public funds intended for government advertising in Quebec. The paper's headings have been controversial. The day following a federal election call by Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin of the on May 24, 2004, the Sun ran a front-page picture of Mr. Martin along with the headline "Throw the Bums Out!", as the Liberals supposedly wanted a renewed mandate before the results of the Gomery Inquiry became public and as this would not give the Conservatives time to consolidate. Several weeks prior to that headline, when former Progressive Conservative Party leader Joe Clark insinuated he would support the Liberals despite being implicated in the scandal, 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".

Sister papers

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.

Current Sun writers

Sun alumni

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Goldstein, Lorrie (July 28, 2004). "Why I'm apologizing to Mayor David Miller". Toronto Sun.


References

  1. ^ Katherine Harding, "Hitler cartoon is ‘despicable,' Miller says", Globe and Mail, 24 July 2004, A9.
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