Sharing Postmedia’s ongoing aspiration to inspire Canadian ambition

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Since its founding in 2010, Postmedia and its broad umbrella of community and national media outlets have been focused on telling the stories that matter to Canadians from coast to coast. With hundreds of diligent journalists based in towns and cities across this country, Postmedia is deeply connected with Canada. We believe that our strength has always been rooted in our enduring relationship with people across this country, with titles serving Canadians dating back as many as 247 years.

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Our teams have always believed in and fought for a strong and prosperous Canada. Our reporting has always reflected an aspirational vision for the country, guided by economic strength, national pride, and a belief in fundamental freedoms for all Canadians.

All of this is why millions of Canadians turn to Postmedia to provide reliable and trusted coverage in their local communities, in Canada, and around the world.

We are proud of our legacy, and of what we have built. In just 15 years, Postmedia has become the single largest private journalism organization in the country – driven in large part by our relentless focus on providing critical local coverage, and our resolve to adapt alongside our country.

It is no secret that the media environment has been rapidly evolving. Where companies such as Postmedia once dominated the public discourse, digital publishing platforms have created a deeply fractured media space.

With this in mind, and in the spirit of our longtime commitment to Canadians, we have decided to formalize our intentions in the form of an editorial mission statement — a declaration of why we do what we do every day.

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That mission, put simply, is: Inspire and harness Canadian ambition to build a prosperous future for our families, our communities, and our country.

It’s a statement that we believe reflects our commitment to shaping Canada’s future by delivering journalism that matters, strengthens communities, and reflects the aspirations of all Canadians.

This editorial mission statement is supported by five critical pillars:

Ambition

Our founders and builders were aspirational at heart and built the greatest nation on Earth with big ideas, big risks and big sacrifices. We must strongly advocate for, reflect and celebrate that same ambition.

Pride of country and national service

Canada is never stronger than when it truly comes together for a common cause, and a sense of national service is critical to our ability to build and sustain a great country. There is value in patriotism, and we can only build a better future if we celebrate our history and those who have helped build our country, while also learning from it.

Quality of life

Canada’s quality of life is the envy of the world — but that doesn’t just happen. To maintain that quality of life requires us to stand up to complacency, ensuring we maintain our high standards in areas like critical infrastructure, health care, law enforcement and justice.

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Self-determination

The phrase from our anthem — true North, strong and free— has real meaning. A culture of free enterprise, independence and self-reliance combined with an ethic of caring for our fellow citizens has created a country that allows any Canadian to participate and contribute to local, national and personal goals, and to share in the wealth and opportunity this country can provide.

Building great towns, cities and everywhere in between

Our commitment to Canada’s towns and cities is the foundation of our credibility and authority. Our other pillars combine to provide our ability to build and sustain great communities that can again be the envy of the world. We must ask what unique challenges and opportunities lie before the communities we serve to inspire the civic pride that will make them great.

What does this mean for you, our reader?

Truthfully — you should not expect much to change.

These principles have long guided our editorial process, and our values structure and they have in turn been applied to missions designed in our local newsrooms that zero in on the specific needs of the communities we serve. But in a media landscape that feels increasingly complex for Canadians to navigate, we feel it is important to state these principles proudly, explicitly, and transparently.

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I’m proud to announce that next week we will launch an editorial series called How Canada Wins. Teams at each of our more than 100 titles across the country will, over the course of five weeks, present stories from their own communities that reflect the ambition we all share for this country and the commitment we are making with our editorial mission statement.

We are proud to provide critical, reliable and trustworthy reporting for Canadians every day, in communities across this country. We are proud to serve this country, and you.

Duncan Clark is Postmedia’s Chief Content Officer.

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