The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (or WFP; founded as the ''Manitoba Free Press'') is a daily (excluding Sunday)
broadsheet newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...
in
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...
,
Manitoba
, image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg
, map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada
, Label_map = yes
, coordinates =
, capital = Winn ...
, Canada. It provides coverage of local, provincial, national, and international news, as well as current events in sports, business, and entertainment and various consumer-oriented features, such as homes and automobiles appear on a weekly basis.
The WFP was founded in 1872, only two years after Manitoba had joined
Confederation
A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
(1870), and predated Winnipeg's own incorporation (1873).
The ''Winnipeg Free Press'' has since become the oldest newspaper in
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada†...
that is still active. Though there is competition, primarily with the print daily
tabloid ''
Winnipeg Sun
The ''Winnipeg Sun'' is a daily tabloid newspaper in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
It is owned by Postmedia following its acquisition of Sun Media, and shares many characteristics typical of Sun tabloids, including an emphasis on local news st ...
'', the WFP has the largest readership of any newspaper in the province and is regarded as the
newspaper of record for Winnipeg and the rest of Manitoba.
Timeline
November 30, 1872: The ''Manitoba Free Press'' was launched by
William Fisher Luxton and John A. Kenny.
Luxton bought a press in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
and, along with Kenny, rented a shack at 555
Main Street, near the present corner of Main Street and James Avenue.
1874: The paper moved to a new building on Main Street, across from St. Mary Avenue.
1882: Control of the ''Free Press'' was passed on to
Clifford Sifton
Sir Clifford Sifton, (March 10, 1861 – April 17, 1929), was a Canadian lawyer and a long-time Liberal politician, best known for being Minister of the Interior under Sir Wilfrid Laurier. He was responsible for encouraging the massive amount ...
.
The organization subsequently moved to a building on McDermot Avenue, where it would remain until 1900.
1900: The paper moved to a new address on McDermot Avenue at Albert Street.
1901:
John Wesley Dafoe served as president,
editor-in-chief
An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies.
The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...
, and editorial writer for the WFP until 1944.
1905: The newspaper moved to a four-storey building at
Portage and Garry.
![Winnipeg Free Press Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Winnipeg_Free_Press_Building.jpg)
1913: The newspaper moved to 300 Carlton Street and would remain there for 78 years.
1920: The ''Free Press'' took its newsprint supplier before the
Judicial Committee of the Privy Council
The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Aug ...
for violating the
War Measures Act
The ''War Measures Act'' (french: Loi sur les mesures de guerre; 5 George V, Chap. 2) was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the declaration of war, invasion, or insurrection, and the types of emergency measures that could t ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The newspaper won the case, known as ''
Fort Frances Pulp and Paper v Manitoba Free Press
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
'', as the court determined that whether the
state of national emergency continued after the war was a political matter for
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
.
1931: The paper was renamed the ''Winnipeg Free Press''.
[
1991: The ''Free Press'' moved to its current location in the Inkster Industrial Park, a plant] at 1355 Mountain Avenue.
December 2001: The ''Free Press'' and its sister paper, ''Brandon Sun
''The Brandon Sun'' is a Monday through Saturday newspaper printed in Brandon, Manitoba. It is the primary newspaper of record for western Manitoba and includes substantial political, crime, business and sports news. ''The Brandon Sun'' also publi ...
'', were bought from Thomson Newspapers
The Thomson Corporation was one of the world's largest information companies. It was established in 1989 following a merger between International Thomson Organisation Ltd (ITOL) and Thomson Newspapers. In 2008, it purchased Reuters Group to fo ...
by FP Canadian Newspapers Limited Partnership.
Strike
In 2008, at noon on Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden and ...
(Monday, October 13), about 1,000 members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, representing editorial, advertising, circulation, and press staff, as well as newspaper carriers, launched a strike action. The strike ended 16 days later, when the union ratified the final offer on Tuesday, October 28. The contract was ratified by 67% of newspaper carriers, 75% of the pressmen, and 91% of the inside workers, including journalists. The recent five-year contract was negotiated, ratified, and signed in 2013, with no threat of a strike. Workers and managers negotiated directly with great success, without the need of a lawyer that previous contracts had required.
Circulation
As of November 1, 2009, the ''WFP'' ceased publishing a regular Sunday edition. In its place, a Sunday-only tabloid called ''On 7'' was launched, but it has since been discontinued.
On March 27, 2011, the impending arrival of Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
in the Winnipeg market caused the Sunday newspaper to be retooled as a broadsheet format, ''Winnipeg Free Press SundayXtra''. The Sunday edition is now available exclusively online.
According to figures via Canadian Newspaper Association
The Canadian Newspapers Association (CNA) was a national trade association for newspaper publishers in Canada from 1996 to 2016. It represented the publishers of over 100 Canadian daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication co ...
, the ''Free Press''' average weekday circulation for 2013 was 108,583, while on Saturdays it was 144,278. Because of the relatively-small population of Manitoba, that meant that over 10% of the population would be looking at the paper and advertisements. Like most Canadian daily newspapers, the ''Free Press'' has seen a decline in circulation, dropping its total by % to 106,473 copies daily from 2009 to 2015.[ Figures refer to the total circulation (print and digital combined), which includes paid and unpaid copies.]
:::::::::Daily average
Notable staff
* Charles Edwards (1928 to early-1930s): journalist and news agency executive
* Vince Leah
Vincent Leah (November 29, 1913August 9, 1993) was a Canadian journalist, writer and sports administrator. He wrote for ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' from 1930 to 1980, and was credited with giving the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their team's name. He es ...
(1980 to 1993): journalist, writer, sports administrator and member of the Order of Canada
* Bob Moir
Robert Munro Moir (1929December 18, 2016) was a Canadian television producer, sports commentator, and journalist. He covered the Canadian Football League for the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' from 1948 to 1958, then worked more than 40 years for the ...
(1948 to 1958): television producer, sports commentator, and journalist
* Hal Sigurdson
Harold Bjorn Sigurdson (July 1, 1932January 16, 2012) was a Canadian sports journalist. He started writing for the ''Winnipeg Free Press'' in 1951, then covered the Canadian Football League as a writer, television commentator, and radio host. H ...
(1951 to 1963, 1976 to 1996): columnist and sports editor from 1976 to 1989
* Maurice Smith (1927 to 1937, 1940 to 1976): columnist and sports editor from 1944 to 1976
See also
*List of newspapers in Canada
This list of newspapers in Canada is a list of newspapers printed and distributed in Canada. Daily newspapers
Local weeklies
Alberta
* Airdrie – '' Airdrie Echo''
* Bashaw – '' Bashaw Star''
* Bassano – ''Bassano Times''
* Beaumont †...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
External links
''Winnipeg Free Press'' site
{{Authority control
Newspapers published in Winnipeg
Publications established in 1872
Daily newspapers published in Manitoba
1872 establishments in Manitoba