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From policing to a Pulitzer to Rob Ford scandals, John Honderich left an indelible mark on the Star’s journalism

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2022/02/12/from-policing-to-a-pulitzer-to-rob-ford-scandals-john-honderich-left-an-indelible-mark-on-the-stars-journalism.html

The late newsroom leader and executive supported reporting that has been “critical to accountability.”

John Honderich served in numerous senior roles at the Toronto Star and its parent company Torstar, including deputy city editor, business editor, editorial page editor, president of Torstar, Toronto Star editor and publisher and chair of Torstar. In all of these roles, Honderich always left an indelible imprint on the Star’s journalism, and was often seen rolling up his sleeves in the middle of the newsroom with a wide grin on his face, always eager to provide guidance when the Star had one of its legendary scoops on the go. Here’s a glimpse at the impact he had over the years on some of the Star’s biggest stories.

Paul Watson’s Pulitzer

As the Star’s editor, John Honderich pushed reporters to be fearless and never shy away from the biggest stories. In April 1994, Star Africa correspondent Paul Watson won America’s prestigious Pulitzer Prize, a first for a Canadian. Watson won in the category of spot news photography for a picture he took months before of a dead U.S. soldier dragged by a mob in Mogadishu, Somalia, after a helicopter was shot down. The shocking photo went around the world and according to the administrator of the Pulitzer Prize, had “a tremendous impact” on Americans’ view on the U.S. role in Somalia.

New Deal for Cities

Honderich was a tireless advocate for Toronto and pushed for the amalgamation of the six former municipalities. His “new deal for cities” campaign led to the megacity gaining powers needed to be an influential North American centre. Mayor John Tory said he “was a strong advocate for a new deal for the newly amalgamated city. It is thanks to his relentless advocacy in the Star and in person that we have a City of Toronto Act and are able to have some greater influence on our own destiny though, still not enough for a city bigger than most provinces.”

Rob Ford video

One of the biggest stories the Star has published was about a video of then-Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine. Kevin Donovan was the lead reporter on the scoop, one that earned praise but also vicious attacks from some of Ford’s supporters. Donovan says Honderich’s backing of reporters during that time was pivotal. “When we were investigating the late Mayor Rob Ford, John as chair of Torstar was very much in our corner. What I recall most about John’s involvement was how he stood up for us publicly when we were taking flak — lots of it — from some readers, Ford Nation, and other media.”

Santa Claus Fund

John Honderich was a staunch supporter of charitable causes and stood behind the Star’s registered charities, the Santa Claus Fund and the Fresh Air Fund. Toronto retiree Jan Gamble, 69, who has for well over a decade volunteered delivering the gifts to families all over Toronto at Christmas, never knew Honderich, but read about him after his death, and said that like him she came from a well-off family that knows the importance of giving back. “He set a very good example to the city, and I admire that,” Gamble said.

Grassy Narrows

Under Honderich’s leadership the Star has dedicated countless stories to overlooked people, including those in Indigenous communities. Reporters David Bruser and Jayme Poisson (the latter now with the CBC) won the Hillman Prize for journalistic excellence serving the common good, for examining mercury contamination in Grassy Narrows First Nation, an Ojibwa community north of Kenora. Over two years the two reporters made several trips to the community, penned about 30 stories the Star “unwaveringly published” on the front page of its newspaper and atop its website, Bruser said. “The Star also covered costs associated with our lab testing of contaminated soil,” Bruser explained. This sustained spotlight helped push the province to announce an $85-million river clean-up and Ottawa to promise to help build a new care home for those poisoned by mercury, Bruser added. The Star “shined a light and exposed the truth with a unique rigour and tenacity,” said Grassy Narrows Chief Randy Fobister. “This reporting has been critical to accountability and has helped bring about the start of progress towards cleaning our river and providing good care for our people.”

Race and crime

The Star has pushed for police accountability when it comes to use of force, training and procedures related to how officers engage with communities of colour. This was evident in a landmark 2002 series called Race and Crime, written by an investigative team of Star journalists led by reporter Jim Rankin. The award-winning stories explored racial profiling and used a police database to reveal how Black people charged with simple drug possession were taken to police stations more often than whites. Black suspects were held overnight for a bail hearing twice as often as whites. Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, an assistant professor at U of T whose work examines the intersections of race, crime and criminal justice with a focus on policing, said the series was powerful and influential. “Especially in Black communities where there was widespread knowledge they were the target of a disproportionate amount of police attention. What was so powerful from my perspective was the data the Star was able to get and ultimately agreed to publish, that showed so very clearly what those disparities looked like,” Owusu-Bempah said. “The other pieces that to me (are) so powerful and impactful are the continued support that John Honderich and other executives at the Star gave to reporters like Jim Rankin to continue to do that work,” Owusu-Bempah, said adding the series laid the groundwork for Rankin and fellow Star journalists’ stories into police “carding.”

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