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He was perhaps best known as the publisher of The Toronto Star, running the newspaper from 1899 to 1948.
In almost every aspect of his life Atkinson challenged Canadians to create a just, equitable, safe and healthy society for every citizen, no matter what their circumstances. Whether the focus was on neighbourhoods, towns, cities, a province or an entire nation, J.E. Atkinson believed the truest measure of progress is how communities support and provide opportunities to disadvantaged citizens.
Mr. Atkinson came to his convictions at a very young age. After his father died when Atkinson was only five, his mother, struggling to feed eight hungry mouths, opened up a boarding house in Newcastle, Ontario. It was here, living with labourers from the local mills, that Mr. Atkinson first learned about class struggle and poverty. The boarding house experiences, along with his strong religious upbringing, helped shape Atkinson's belief that what mattered most was a person's actions in the "here and now".
He often told a story from his youth when he would spend countless hours at the side of a frozen pond, watching other children skate. One day a woman asked him why he wasn't skating too. He replied that his family could not afford skates. The woman promptly took Atkinson to a local store and bought him a pair of skates.
He never learned who she was but the experience exercised a profound effect throughout Atkinson's life.
After his first job working as a clerk at the Port Hope Times, Atkinson became the Ottawa correspondent for the Toronto Globe and then the managing editor of the Montreal Herald. He developed a great reputation as a fiery columnist.
In 1899, a group of Liberals who had purchased the Toronto Star, asked Atkinson to take over the helm of the dying Star. Then Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier harboured hope the Star would serve as a mouthpiece for this party. Atkinson had other ideas. Even though he supported the Liberals, he took the job on the condition the Star be allowed to operate free of any political or business interests.
Atkinson proceeded to turn the failing paper around. By the 1920's, the Star was one of the most successful newspapers in Canada. In the 1930's Atkinson guided the paper's coverage of the Great Depression which drove thousands into abject poverty and forced workers, including children, to work long hours for pay that left them hungry.
Meanwhile, new immigrants experienced discrimination, workers trying to unionize were harassed, and many Canadians lived in fear of what would happen if they became, ill or lost their jobs. But unlike so many others, Atkinson would not tolerate what he saw. The Star gave voice to the views of unpopular minorities and demanded policies to alleviate social and economic disparity. Not surprisingly, Atkinson's actions were often at odds with the very establishment of which he was now considered a member. But today, social policies such as minimum wage, old age and disability pensions are partly due to Atkinson's unrelenting advocacy.
More than any other business leader in recent memory, J.E. Atkinson compelled Canadians to reflect on what people owe each other. Atkinson headed the Toronto Star until his death on May 8, 1948, at the age of 82.
For his success as a business leader and his commitment to communities and to the country, Atkinson was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame. Upon his death, Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King wrote a tribute to him in the Star, calling him "a great journalist, a zealous reformer and a true Canadian."
The Atkinson Principles and the Toronto Star
Throughout his 50 years as publisher of The Toronto Star from 1899 to 1948, Joseph E. Atkinson developed strong views on both the role of a large city newspaper and the editorial principles it should espouse. These values and beliefs now form what are called the Atkinson Principles. For more than a century, they have provided the intellectual foundation on which The Star has operated and have given the paper its distinctive voice.
On his death, Atkinson was so determined these principles be maintained that he bequeathed all his shares to the charitable foundation that bears his name. He wanted to be certain that the Star would be run by those "familiar with the doctrines and beliefs which I have promoted in the past" and that publication of The Star would "be conducted for the benefit of the public in the continued frank and full dissemination of news and opinions" and in such a manner as to preserve its role as a great "metropolitan newspaper."
Faced with a provincial statute which prevented the foundation from holding the shares in the newspaper, Mr. Atkinson’s son, Joseph S. Atkinson, and four other senior managers of the newspaper (Messrs. Campbell, Hindmarsh, Honderich and Thall) formed Torstar Corporation to purchase the assets of the Toronto Star and formed the Voting Trust to hold their controlling interest. They undertook to observe and promote in the newspaper the values and beliefs that J. E. Atkinson promoted in his lifetime. Torstar and the Voting Trust continue to do so with pride and conviction.
The editorial principles Atkinson espoused were founded on his belief that a progressive newspaper should contribute to the advancement of society through pursuit of social, economic and political reforms. He was particularly concerned about injustice, be it social, economic, political, legal or racial. Fundamental to his philosophy was the belief that the state has the right and duty to act when private initiative fails. While Atkinson's beliefs were never codified in any set form, the central Principles can be summarized as follows:
1. A strong, united and independent Canada: Atkinson argued for a strong central government and the development of distinctive social, economic and cultural policies appropriate to an independent country.
2. Social Justice: Atkinson was relentless in pressing for social and economic programs to help those less advantaged and showed particular concern for the least advantaged among us.
3. Individual and Civil Liberties: Atkinson always pressed for equal treatment of all citizens under the law, particularly minorities, and was dedicated to the fundamental freedoms of belief, thought, opinion and expression and the freedom of press.
4. Community and Civic Engagement: Atkinson continually advocated the importance of proper city planning, the development of strong communities with their vibrant local fabrics and the active involvement of citizens in civic affairs.
5. The Rights of Working People: The Star was born out of a strike in 1892 and Atkinson was committed to the rights of working people including freedom of association and the safety and dignity of the workplace.
6. The Necessary Role of Government: When Atkinson believed the public need was not met by the private sector and market forces alone, he argued strongly for government intervention. |
