Ego and Ink: The Inside Story of Canada's National Newspaper War

by Chris Cobb

In this fast-paced and dramatic book, journalist Chris Cobb serves up a solidly reported business story laced with political intrigue, insider gossip, and inflamed egos.

It looked, at first, like it would be a rout. Conrad Black, supreme commander of the upstart National Post, was jubilant: “We have shattered this cozy little logrolling, backscratching society of the Toronto media cartel!” The Post style was quickly dubbed “tits and analysis,” but the threat was very real. Once the Post was launched, the fight got dirty. For six months a Globe spy faxed them the Post’s front page each day before the Globe went to press. The publisher at the Star warned his top people that the Post’s owners “aren’t restrained by the Marquess of Queensberry rules.” The struggling Globe drafted the foppish, often brutal Fleet Street editor Richard Addis, who put the paper through an agonizing but ultimately successful readjustment.

The short but invigorating war left many casualties in its wake, but it also made newspapers exciting for the first time in this country. And it produced some of the finest, most discussed journalism this country has seen.

Based on solid research and interviews with all the major players – editors, publishers, owners, columnists, advertisers – Ego and Ink is enlivened with colourful dialogue, remarkable characters, eye-opening anecdotes, and the quick pace of popular fiction. This irreverent book also offers newspaper readers fascinating insight into how the business works.

Genres: Journalism, Nonfiction, Canada

368 pages, Hardcover

First published May 18, 2004

Reviews

[Matthew Scace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun read, particularly for people in tune with today’s Canadian media. It’s strange and fascinating to read about and hear from a 30 y/o Chrystia Freeland on as deputy editor of the Globe, well before she or the author knew what was to come of her public life a decade-plus later, or all the young reporters of the time who’ve since become today’s untouchables. The chapters on the advertising business didn’t capture me but the Post’s dramatic wind-up to its first press day — primarily its spare-no-expense effort to win over characters like Christie Blatchford, Rosie DiManno & Ed Greenspon — is worth the price of admission. I’m not aware of many well-reported books on Canadian media which makes me particularly grateful for this one.

[Alex Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike some people, I actually remember the "Great Newspaper War" of the late 1990's. My family had free copies of almost every major daily newspaper in Toronto arriving at our doorsteps daily, and the content that was being produced by them at that time was near-unmatched.

Ego and Ink is a great account of that time period, as seen through the eyes of a number of parties at every level of the business. However, it can be overkill for people who can't keep track of the personalities and situations.

The book starts out with various people being handed pink slips at the National Post, then flipping back several years to chart the paper's rise and decline. Much like Jean Sonmor's The Little Paper That Grew (which did the same thing with the Toronto Sun), Chris Cobb goes into Conrad Black's vision of a third major player in the newspaper industry, and his attempts to rally a crew of editors, reporters and executives in near-secrecy.

If anything, the book romanticizes Black's involvement too much, especially given the fact that he was soon after charged with embezzlement. That said, the narrative moves well and has a lot of hilarious anecdotes - Rosie Dimanno and Christine Blatchford's rivalry escalating to a point where Blatchford seeks out Dimanno after being scooped on a story and calls her a "c***" in front of bar patrons, an exploration of the various columns that were being written at the time, and the general "rock-star" nature of Black's association with the paper and its popularity.

For anyone in the writing field, the material is an easy read and moves briskly, though it can be difficult to keep track of the various parties.

I highly recommend it.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had this book on my shelf for years before a stint of unemployment post graduation gave me the time needed to pick it up. I definitely should have read it sooner.
This book is an excellent account of the newspapers wars that happened in Canada and how the papers aligned themselves. It was interesting to learn about the relationship between the Thompson family and Conrad Black and the bitter rivalry they share. Very interesting book about a side of Canadian history that is always overlooked!

[Patrick Nichol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent insider's look at the last great Canadian newspaper war, between the Toronto star, Globe and Mail, the Sun and The National Post.

Cobb's candid examination of Conrad Black's launch of the paper, and it's impact on the country's established media, should be required reading for Journalism schools everywhere.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting topic, and I learned a lot of interesting things. The writing is kind of dull. The book also needs a "cast of characters", as there are many journalists, business people and politicians to keep track of. I would like to see an update, as the book ends about 10 years ago and the Canadian newspaper landscape has changed a lot since then.

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely well researched and in depth... it's too bad it was just a boring read.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

ah for the hay day of money and creativity in newspapers!!! Just an entirely different outlook on covering news

[Kate]

History of journalism