Globe's retreat from Maritimes 'sign of the times,' says former editor

Edward Greenspon, who served as The Globe and Mail's editor in chief for seven years, said while he's sad to see the national paper pull out of the Maritimes, he's also not surprised.

'There's many other publications that are moving online,' says Edward Greenspon

Emma Smith · CBC News · Posted: Aug 25, 2017 6:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: August 25, 2017

The last print edition for the Maritimes will come at the end of November. (CBC)

The Globe and Mail's decision to pull its print edition in the Maritimes is more proof that Canada needs to find new ways to fund the news, says the paper's former editor.

Edward Greenspon, who served as editor in chief for seven years beginning in 2002, said while he's sad about the decision, he's also not surprised.

"I think it's a sign of the times," Greenspon told CBC's Information Morning. "There's a loss entailed in distributing the newspaper in Atlantic Canada where the readership is relatively thin."

Stop the presses: Globe and Mail ends print edition in Maritimes

What to do about that loss is at the heart of a report by Greenspon, who's now president and CEO of the Public Policy Forum, an independent non-profit think tank.

The report, Shattered Mirror: News, Democracy and Trust in the Digital Age, was released in January and recommended ways forward for the news industry in the digital era.

Who should pay for the news?

The Globe and Mail will stop delivering to Maritime subscribers on Dec. 1 and the publisher told CBC News this week that there are no plans to create an Atlantic Canadian version of the digital paper, as has been tried in B.C.

The paper had previously stopped printing its paper in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013.

People anywhere can still get the digital version of the newspaper.

Edward Greenspon was the editor of The Globe and Mail for seven years, ending in 2009. (ppforum.ca)

Greenspon said you don't have to look far to see examples of print newspapers digitizing.

"There's many other publications that are moving online. Rogers has moved Macleans to a monthly schedule, but more regular in a digital format," he said.

Greenspon said Canadians are less interested in how they read the news, and more concerned that it stay strong and independent.

We think journalism is way too important to allow it to get possibly corrupted by receiving money from government.- Edward Greenspon, veteran journalist

But those who took part in focus groups and surveys for the Shattered Mirror report also didn't have ideas for how to fund newspapers now that traditional ad dollars are dropping.

The majority said they didn't want government funding the news, said Greenspon.

"We think journalism is way too important to allow it to get possibly corrupted by receiving money from government," said Greenspon.

The Globe and Mail's decision to pull its print edition out of Atlantic Canada is the latest piece of bad news for Canada's struggling newspaper industry. (Canadian Press)

There are also impediments to philanthropic journalism setups, such as ProPublica in the United States because of the way Canada's charity laws work, said Greenspon.

According to the report, there were 102 newspapers sold per 100 households in Canada 1950. By 2015, it was 18. The report projects that by 2025, there will be just two newspapers sold per 100 households.