Toronto Star

==Content==
===Editorial position===
Like its competitor ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'', the ''Star'' covers "a spectrum of opinion that is best described as urban and [[Central Canada|Central Canadian]]" in character. The ''Star'' is generally centrist and [[centre-left]], and is more [[Social liberalism|socially liberal]] than ''The Globe and Mail''.<ref name="Winter">Elke Winter, ''Us, Them and Others: Pluralism and National Identities in Diverse Societies'' (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 96.</ref> The paper has aligned itself over the years with the progressive "Atkinson principles" named for publisher [[Joseph E. Atkinson]],<ref name="Wallace">Kenyon Wallace, [https://www.thestar.com/trust/2018/05/24/how-the-star-is-making-its-political-endorsements-more-transparent.html How the Star is making its political endorsements more transparent], ''Toronto Star'' (May 26, 2018).</ref> who was editor and publisher of the paper for 50 years.<ref name="Harris">Tamar Harris, [https://www.thestar.com/anniversary/2017/11/04/through-constant-change-atkinson-principles-endure.html Through constant change, Atkinson Principles endure], ''Toronto Star'' (November 4, 2017).</ref> These principles included [[social justice]] and [[social welfare provision]], as well as [[individual rights]] and [[civil liberties]].<ref name="Harris" /> In 1984, scholar Wilfred H. Kesterton described the ''Star'' as "perpetually indignant" because of its social consciousness.<ref name="Winter" /> When Atkinson's son Joseph Story Atkinson became president of the ''Star'' in 1957, he said, "From its inception in 1892, the ''Star'' has been a champion of social and economic reform, a defender of minority rights, a foe of discrimination, a friend of organized labour and a staunch advocate of Canadian nationhood."<ref name="Harris" />

Another of the "Atkinson principles" has been a "strong, united and independent Canada"; in a 1927 editorial, the paper wrote, "We believe in the British connection as much as anybody does but on a self-respecting basis of equality, of citizenship, and not on the old basis of one country belonging to the other."<ref name="Harris" /> The paper was historically wary of American influence,<ref name="Harris" /> and during the debates over the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]], the paper was frequently critical of [[free trade]] and expressed concerns about Canadian sovereignty.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Andrea M.L. |last=Perrella |title=Editorials and the Free Trade Agenda: Comparison of Law Press and the Toronto Star Quebec Under Free Trade: Making Public Policy in North America |journal=Quebec Under Free Trade: Making Public Policy in North America |editor=Guy Lachapelle |publisher=Presses de l'Université du Québec |date=1995 |pages=276–79}}</ref> The paper has been traditionally supportive of [[Official bilingualism in Canada|official bilingualism]] and maintaining Canadian unity in opposition to [[Quebec sovereignty movement|Quebec separatism]].<ref name="Harris" />

In the 1980s, [[Michael Farber]] wrote in the ''[[Montreal Gazette]]'' that the ''Star''{{'}}s coverage was Toronto-centric to the point that any story was said to carry an explanation as to "What it means to [[Metropolitan Toronto|Metro]]."<ref>{{cite news |last=Farber |first=Michael |date=August 27, 1985 |title=Stock deal ends talk of takeover |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19850827&id=haIkAAAAIBAJ&pg=2529,3244467&hl=en |newspaper=[[Montreal Gazette]] |page=A-3}}</ref> Conversely, Canadian sociologist Elke Winter wrote in 2011 that the ''Toronto Star'' was less "Toronto-centric" than its rival, ''The Globe and Mail'', writing that the ''Star'' "consciously reports for and from Canada's most multicultural city" and catered to a diverse readership.<ref name="Winter" />

The advent of the ''[[National Post]]'' in 1998 shook up the Toronto newspaper market.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.macleans.ca/economy/business/as-the-globe-turns/ |title=As the Globe turns – Macleans.ca |date=July 9, 2009 |work=Macleans |access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> In the upheaval that followed, editorial spending increased and there was much turnover of editors and publishers.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/02/black200702 |title=Black Mischief |last=Orth |first=Maureen |work=The Hive |access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref>

====Election endorsements====
In the 50 years to 1972, the ''Star'' endorsed the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal Party]] in each [[List of Canadian federal general elections|federal general election]].<ref name="English">Kathy English, [https://www.thestar.com/news/politics/federalelection/2008/10/11/why_do_newspapers_endorse.html Why do newspapers endorse?], ''Toronto Star'' (October 11, 2008).</ref> In the fifteen federal elections between 1968 and 2019, the ''Star'' has endorsed the Liberal Party eleven times, the [[New Democratic Party]] twice, and the [[Progressive Conservative Party of Canada|Progressive Conservative Party]] twice.<ref name="Wallace" />

Elections in which the ''Star'' did not endorse the Liberals took place in [[1972 Canadian federal election|1972]] and [[1974 Canadian federal election|1974]] (when it endorsed the Progressive Conservatives), and [[1979 Canadian federal election|1979]] and [[2011 Canadian federal election|2011]] (when it endorsed the NDP).<ref name="English" /><ref name="Wallace" /> In the 2011 election, the ''Star'' [[Newspaper endorsements in the 2011 Canadian federal election|endorsed the NDP]] under [[Jack Layton]],<ref name="Toronto Star endorses the NDP" /> but to avoid [[vote splitting]] that could inadvertently help the Conservatives under [[Stephen Harper]], which it saw as the worst outcome for the country, the paper also recommended Canadians [[Tactical voting|vote strategically]] by voting for "the progressive candidate best placed to win" in certain ridings.<ref name="strategicvoting">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2011/04/30/but_vote_strategically.html |title=But vote strategically |work=Toronto Star |date=April 30, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140321014354/https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/2011/04/30/but_vote_strategically.html |archive-date=March 21, 2014}}</ref> For the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 election]], the ''Star'' endorsed the Liberal Party under [[Justin Trudeau]],<ref name="2015endorsement">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2015/10/09/for-justin-trudeau-and-the-liberal-party-editorial.html |title=Toronto Star endorses Liberal leader Justin Trudeau for prime minister |work=Toronto Star |date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> and did so again in the [[2019 Canadian federal election|2019 federal election]].<ref name="2019endorsement">{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/10/16/liberals-are-the-best-choice-for-canada.html |title=Liberals are the best choice for Canada |work=Toronto Star |date=October 16, 2019}}</ref>

In Toronto's [[Nonpartisanism|non-partisan]] mayoral elections, the ''Star'' endorsed [[George Smitherman]] in [[2010 Toronto mayoral election|2010]]<ref>{{cite news |title=The Star's choices for Toronto mayor: George Smitherman |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/876268 |work=Toronto Star |date=October 17, 2010}}</ref> and [[John Tory]] in 2014<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2014/10/21/john_tory_is_the_best_choice_to_lead_toronto_editorial.html |title=John Tory is the best choice to lead Toronto: Editorial |work=Toronto Star |date=October 21, 2014}}</ref> and 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2018/10/19/john-tory-is-the-best-choice-for-toronto-now.html |title=John Tory is the best choice for Toronto now |work=Toronto Star |date=October 19, 2018}}</ref>

===Features===
The ''Star'' is one of the few Canadian newspapers that employs a "[[public editor]]" ([[ombudsman]]) and was the first to do so. Its newsroom policy and journalistic standards guide is also published online.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/publiceditor/article/1098344 |title=Toronto Star Newsroom Policy and Journalistic Standards Guide |work=Toronto Star |date=December 7, 2011 |access-date=August 17, 2013}}</ref>

The ''Star'' states that it favours an inclusive, "[[big tent]]" approach, not wishing to attract one group of readers at the expense of others. It publishes regular features on real estate (including condominiums), individual neighbourhoods (and street name etymologies), shopping, cooking, dining, alcoholic beverages (right down to having an exclusive on the anti-competitive practices of [[the Beer Store]] that led to major reforms on the [[Liquor Licence Act (Ontario)|sale of alcohol in Ontario]] grocery stores in 2015 by Premier [[Kathleen Wynne]] and [[W. Edmund Clark|Ed Clark]]), automobiles (as Wheels), and travel destinations.