fledermaus

A long time ago, in another life, I used to read the Guardian, and the Observer on a Sunday, along with the Sunday Telegraph. (Good arts pages)

Now here in Ontario I prefer to read the Globe and Mail. It seems to be written better. The Toronto Star is too Toronto focused and seems a little light.

I've been told that the Globe is right wing, so does this mean I am becoming a rabid fascist or is Canadian right wing not as right wing as UK right wing? Does that make sense??

Simon Legree

The Globe and Mail and National Post are the only "national" newspapers. I have been a Globe reader for ever. It hasn't turned me into a right wing rabid fascist yet. I tried the Natioal Post but didn't like it. Even the type face turned me off. However, my favorite journal of all is good old Private Eye. If you want to know what's happening in UK it's the best !! I have subscribed for many years. Wonderful cartoons too.

dbd33

I have a subscription to the Guardian (indeed I met my partner, otraynor, through their talkboard), I've had the subscription since before the internet when people used to tear it from my hands in order to read about their home countries; then as now the Canadian media couldn't afford correspondents in very many places. If I've time for another paper I pick up the New York Times. I don't bother with the Globe because it's not local enough to cover events in Melancthon and not global enough to compete with the Guardian and the World Service. The whole point of Canada is that nothing ever happens so a specifically Canadian paper necessarily has no content.

That said, I think Jeffrey Simpson writes well in the Globe. I wouldn't call it a right wing paper, just a bit of a pointless one. The National Post is the right wing paper in Canada, it's well to the right of the Telegraph and lacks the latter's excellent coverage of sport. The Toronto Star shines the beacon of opportunity to the immigrant; even if hampered by illiteracy you can write for the Star. I used to think Rosie DiManno a low rent Julie Burchill but she's not even that, perhaps the poor dyke's Zoe Williams.

dbd33

I believe the Star is sold coast-to-coast and has the largest circulation of any paper in Canada.

triumphguy

"The whole point of Canada is that nothing ever happens so a specifically Canadian paper necessarily has no content."

That's a rather fatuous and narrow-minded comment.

If the Canadian media was so mediocre how come some British rags are Canadian owned?

dbd33

What does buying a company have to do with publishing a quality newspaper? Rupert Murdoch owns half the world's media but makes no pretence of having quality content. Larry Flynt makes money from his publications but, again, makes no pretence that they're literate. The Moonies own the Washington Times, is that because there have been many high quality Moonie papers?

You say my observation is fatuous, are you saying that there's news in Canada and if so, what is it? What significant event has happened in Canada in the past twenty years? (I'll give you Ace baguettes, the bread has improved). I suggest that, bread aside, there have been none, dullness, or reassuring stability, is both the strength and weakness of the country. Are you instead saying that Canadian papers provide coverage of foreign news that is somehow better than one gets from the British or American papers? If so, do you have an example?

Rich_007

^^^ Oh he just knows what it's all about, every time

R.

wizzard

I think the whole nothing happening in Canada is pretty much the same as the nothing happening in the UK when I read papers there, unless of course it is a celbrity focused tabloid but even they have to make most of it up. Mostly you want world news and then usually locally relevant news. I don't bother with newspapers anymore for regualr news as the internet has too many decent free news sources.
I read the Globe on a Saturday but not really for its world news, more for its local news (i.e. the Toronto version has a Toronto section and the Vancouver one has a Vencouver section etc.) and then for the extended sections like the books section and so forth.
They cover Canadain relevant news pretty well I think and have a good balance across the country. Probably they they are only considered right wing because of their lack of a leftist slant, I don't personally think they are that far right they cover a wide range of issues and pretty mcuh seem to be in the centre and slightly off to either side depending on the column.
However having read most of the different papers I think it is the best written and most interesting, the Toronto Star is as it sounds a Toronto paper and not very well written, the National Post is definatley right wing slanted but then that is to be expected.
I did get a free trial of the Sunday New York Times via the Globe but that is also a terribly written paper whcih I found odd as it seems to be held in some regard but the writting was really quite bad, not just content wise but also spelling and grammar and all that. Also you have to bear in mind it is a US paper so it is heavily tarnished by excessive PC things and is obsessed by homosexual marriage issues for some reason.

Rich_007

Newspapers are so 1980. Dull, badly written inky old crap.

R.

ClareBC

Sorry, I have no suggestion for a paper. I read the Vancouver Sun (OMG I have become so parochial ) But I get most of my news fix from the Guardian online.

BUT have you noticed that the Canadian papers cover SE Asian news really well, but European and African is pretty non existent? (Eg the current situation in the Congo is barely mentioned in the Canadian press). It is like the flip side to the UK papers.

I wondered if it is because so much of our population comes from SE Asia, but then it occurred to me that it might also be the time difference (at least on the West Coast) lends itself to SE Asian coverage.

But for analysis and insight like the Guardian, well you are not going to get it here (just like the CBC is never going to hit the giddy heights of Radio 4....)

triumphguy

Well, if you live in Canada and participate in its community life then I would imagine a great deal of interest has occured over the last 20 years.

As to quality papers - you mean the Grauniad?

Novocastrian

I, like Madame Palin, read "any of them, all of them". Today's Grauniad for example has a very substantial and informative article reporting that nothing is happening in Burma,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008...ng-san-suu-kyi

I think "nothing" needs a little nuance.

dbd33

Are you sure that was the New York Times, not the Washington one?

dbd33

What, for example? What would you say has happened in Canada in the past 20 years that had more impact on the public at large than Loblaws distributing Ace baguettes?

iaink

I get my canadian news perspective from the G&M. I dont think of it as right wing....certainly not compared to the competision (National Post etc)

But I too stick to the Guardian, plus the Telegraph and Times online pages for world news.

Canada doenst seem to particularly do right wing, not since the Reform party disolved into the Conservatives. The conservatices are pretty centralist, although time will tell if they stay that way.