Murdoch Davis is a company man. As he’d be the first to tell you, the paycheque buys his loyalty. It buys his opinions, his arguments, and his towering indignation. That dedication has elevated him to the top of the country’s biggest daily newspaper chain. From his office, high in the 33-storey Toronto-Dominion Building, the tallest… Continue reading The Loyal Stenographer
Category: Summer 2003
Selling Students Short
“Please rise for the national anthem.” A few students yawn, stretch and rub their eyes as if their beds ejected them into class. Eyelids gradually close, open, then close again. It’s early Friday morning at Port Perry High School in southeastern Ontario. Communications teacher Mr. Scuse introduces me as a “special treat” to the class;… Continue reading Selling Students Short
That Was Then, This is Now
One evening last fall, staff members of Now, Toronto’s largest and most enduring alternative weekly, stood in the publication’s lounge armed with questions, comments, and drink tickets. But, compared to Now‘s boisterous 20th anniversary celebration in 2001, the mood at this gathering was restrained. If people seemed uneasy, even nervous, that’s because Michael Hollett, the… Continue reading That Was Then, This is Now
Al’s Excellent Adventure
It may have been the most unusual editorial retreat in the history of Canadian publishing. Back in September 2001, fresh from buying Explore magazine, 60-year-old Al Zikovitz was climbing Mount Athabasca, near the Columbia Icefields in Alberta. Did it bother him that a strong wind was blowing snow off the glacier and that he lacked… Continue reading Al’s Excellent Adventure
In the Line of Fire
Levon Sevunts, the Montreal Gazette‘s foreign correspondent, felt lucky when Northern Alliance commander General Bashir offered to carry him and some other foreign correspondents aboard his armoured personnel carrier to some newly captured Taliban trenches. It was November 11, 2001, just after the fighting had subsided and the Taliban had begun their unexpected retreat from… Continue reading In the Line of Fire