Campion-Smith named the Star’s new public editor
Veteran reporter says he values reader feedback
In the very early 2000s, back when he wrote for the Toronto Star’s editorial board, Bruce Campion-Smith sat next to the office of Don Sellar, the Star’s “ombudsman,” a position that would later be known as the public editor.
“Don was on the phone all day talking to readers,” recalled Campion-Smith.
“And it struck me then just how important his job was.”
Nearly two decades later, Campion-Smith is leaving his post as a reporter in the Star’s Ottawa Bureau and moving into the public editor’s office at 1 Yonge St., succeeding editor Kathy English, who announced her resignation this week after 13 years in the position.
Campion-Smith’s appointment comes after he spent 17 years reporting in Ottawa, where he’s covered federal politics and policy and events on Parliament Hill. Over the course of his career, he’s travelled with prime ministers to global summits, covered five federal elections and reported from the White House and on conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Campion- Smith has also served as Ottawa bureau chief, assistant city editor, editorial writer, transportation reporter and general assignment reporter. His career began in the Star’s radio room, where he covered breaking news unfolding across the city as it came in.
His reporting has resulted in several awards and nominations, including the Ross Munro Award from the Canadian Global Affairs Institute in 2005 and a nomination for a National Newspaper Award in the category of editorial writing in 2002.
His decision to take on the new role is, in part, due to his interest in soliciting reader feedback.
“A key part of this job is listening to readers and understanding their concerns with our coverage. As a journalist, it’s not easy getting feedback from your readers who are critical of your work, but you realize that, at the end of the day, we’re better for it. It’s part of a relationship with our readers that we should never take for granted,” he said.
Eight journalists have served as the Star’s public editor since the job was created in 1972. In that time, the position has undergone various changes and reimaginings of its purpose. During English’s tenure, the position served to provide an opportunity for readers to understand journalistic processes and tricky editorial decisions.
“The platforms of communication have changed, but I think the same theme remains true to this day,” Campion-Smith said.
“This is a way for readers’ feedback to get directly through to the newsroom.”
When he begins the new job next week, Campion-Smith hopes to focus on the importance of media literacy, reader feedback and diversity both in the newsroom and in news.
“It’s critical that our coverage reflects the city we serve. The Star has made commitments to act on that front, and I think we have a lot of work to do to ensure that we’re reflecting the city properly.”
He says his first column will likely be about the value of reader feedback.
“We’ve formed valuable relationships with readers over the years who’ve addressed errors and shortfalls in our coverage. It makes us better, and it shows that readers care about the news they receive and they care enough to offer their comments.
“That’s a relationship that we should never take for granted.”