The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written 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 politics, business, sports a ...
in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
. It is part of the
Postmedia Network
Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is a Canadian media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in newspaper publishing, news ...
.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
's first newspaper, the 23-year-old ''
Edmonton Bulletin
The ''Edmonton Bulletin'' was a newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta, published from 1880 until January 20, 1951. It was founded by Edmonton pioneer Frank Oliver, a future Liberal politician and cabinet minister in the Canadian Government.
Oliver co-f ...
''. Within a week, the ''Journal'' took over another newspaper, ''The Edmonton Post'', and established an editorial policy supporting the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
against the ''Bulletins stance for the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
. In 1912, the ''Journal'' was sold to the
Southam family.
It remained under Southam ownership until 1996, when it was acquired by
Hollinger International
Sun-Times Media Group (formerly Hollinger International) is a Chicago-based newspaper publisher.
History
Sun-Times Media Group was founded in 1986 under the name ''American Publishing Company'', as a holding company for Hollinger Inc.'s Americ ...
. The ''Journal'' was subsequently sold to
Canwest
Canwest Global Communications Corporation, which operated under the corporate name Canwest, was a major Canadian media conglomerate based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with its head offices at Canwest Place. It held radio, television broadcasting an ...
in 2000, and finally came under its current ownership,
Postmedia Network Inc., in 2010.
[Godfrey group buys Canwest](_blank)
''The National Post
The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Mo ...
'', May 11, 2010
![EdmontonJournalExterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/EdmontonJournalExterior.jpg)
In 1905, ''The Journal'' began operating from a building on the corner of a lot on 102nd Avenue and 101st Street. Its present location at 101st Street and 100th Avenue was established in 1921, and Alberta's first radio station,
CJCA
CJCA is a Canadian radio station. It operates at 930 AM branded as ''AM930 The Light'' in Edmonton, Alberta.
History
It was first licensed in 1922, and it first broadcast on May 1, 1922, becoming Alberta's first radio station. It was an affili ...
, began broadcasting from the building a year later.
In 1937, the ''Journal'' came into conflict with Alberta Premier
William Aberhart
William Aberhart (December 30, 1878 – May 23, 1943), also known as "Bible Bill" for his outspoken Baptist views, was a Canadian politician and the seventh premier of Alberta from 1935 to his death in 1943. He was the founder and first leader ...
's attempt to pass the ''
Accurate News and Information Act
The ''Accurate News and Information Act'' (complete title: ''An Act to Ensure the Publication of Accurate News and Information'') was a statute passed by the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada, in 1937, at the instigation of William Aberhar ...
'' requiring newspapers to print government rebuttals to stories the provincial cabinet deemed "inaccurate." After successfully fighting the law, the ''Journal'' became the first non-American newspaper to be honoured by the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
committee, receiving a special bronze plaque in 1938 for defending the
freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...
.
After the ''Bulletin'' folded in 1951, the ''Journal'' was left as Edmonton's oldest and only remaining daily newspaper. The monopoly continued until the ''
Edmonton Sun
The ''Edmonton Sun'' is a daily newspaper and news website published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is owned by Postmedia following its 2015 acquisition of Sun Media from Quebecor.
It began publishing Sunday April 2, 1978 and shares many cha ...
'' began publishing in 1978.
In 1982, government officials under the
Combines Investigation Act
The ''Combines Investigation Act'' was a Canadian Act of Parliament, implemented in 1910, passed in 1923 by MacKenzie King, which regulated certain corporate business practices that were anti-competitive. It prohibited monopolies, misleading adve ...
entered and searched the paper's offices under the suspicion that Southam Newspapers was violating federal legislation by engaging in unfair trading and anti-competitive business practices. The
Alberta Court of Appeal
The Court of Appeal of Alberta (frequently referred to as Alberta Court of Appeal or ABCA) is a Canadian appellate court.
Jurisdiction and hierarchy within Canadian courts
The court is the highest in Alberta, Canada. It hears appeals from the ...
ruled the search inconsistent with the
''Charter of Rights and Freedoms'', a decision the
Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada (SCC; french: Cour suprême du Canada, CSC) is the Supreme court, highest court in the Court system of Canada, judicial system of Canada. It comprises List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Canada, nine justices, wh ...
upheld in ''
Hunter v Southam Inc
''Hunter v Southam Inc'' 9842 S.C.R. 145 is a landmark Supreme Court of Canada privacy rights case and as well is the first Supreme Court decision to consider section 8 of the ''Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms''.
Background
An investigati ...
''.
Present day
Today, the ''Journal'' publishes six days a week, with regular sections including News (city, Canada, and world), Sports, Opinion, A&E, Life, and Business. The newspaper participated in the
Critics and Awards Program for High School Students The Cappies (Critics and Awards Program) is an international program for recognizing, celebrating, and providing learning experiences for high school theater and journalism students and teenage playwrights.
There are currently 13 Cappies programs ...
(Cappies),
, now called the Alberta Youth Theatre Collective, and has partnerships with a number of arts organizations in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, including the
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to co ...
and the
Alberta Ballet Company
Alberta Ballet (also known as the Alberta Ballet Company) was founded by Muriel Taylor and Dr. Ruth Carse in 1958 and became a professional company in 1966. The company is a resident company of both the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmo ...
. It also supports community events such as the
Canspell National Spelling Bee.
The ''Journal'' has also begun operating under a new commitment to digital media in addition to traditional print.
Circulation
The ''Edmonton Journal'' has seen like most
Canadian daily newspapers a decline in
circulation. Its total circulation dropped by percent to 92,542 copies daily from 2009 to 2015.
:::::::::Daily average
[ Figures refer to the total circulation (print and digital combined) which includes paid and unpaid copies.]
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
External links
*
*
Historical*
*
*
{{PulitzerPrize SpecialCitations Journalism
Newspapers published in Edmonton
Publications established in 1903
Daily newspapers published in Alberta