News   Mar 28, 2024
 317     0 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 338     1 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 698     0 

About the Toronto Sun

spider

Senior Member
Member Bio
Joined
Feb 4, 2008
Messages
1,214
Reaction score
1
I am mystified, how is it that those who profess to hate the Toronto Sun are so conversant with the paper’s stance on everything? They proudly declaim that they would sooner be dipped in shit than be caught reading it’s apocryphal pages yet their familiarity with the positions expounded by it’s editors and columnists is so comprehensive that they must be clairvoyant or are reading it under the covers with a flashlight.

At least I, and many others I am sure, make an effort to read the Star before making judgements on it and it‘s content. Are we wrong? Is the effort to actually read opinions we may not agree with some how counter productive?

Perhaps education is the key. Am I shackled by the inadequacies of my grade 11 education , unable to see the smaller picture espoused by those whose post secondary degrees have taught them to ignore uncomfortable opinions?

I read and enjoy the Sun and the Post and make no apologies about doing so. I also read the Star. All 3 papers have their strengths and their weaknesses, qualities that depend on your predispositions but qualities none the less.

Any message that begins by denigrating a newspaper you are proud not to read rings a little hollow

Feel free to post contrary opinions without fear of being branded a troll for doing so.
 
Even if the Sun were left wing a lot of people would hate it. It's a tabloid-style newspaper which really annoys a lot of people (like myself) and it's written at a really low level. Most of the time, their main stories are about really unimportant things even though real news happened that day.

What I am saying is that even if the political and social opinions of the Sun aligned perfectly with my own, I would never lower myself to reading a newspaper that would put things like this on their front cover:

2009-10-03%5B2%5D.jpg
 
Because the Sun often adheres to post-truth politics as described by Paul Krugman in his article today. And by doing so, the paper lowers the level of discourse for everyone. The Sun also withdrew from the Ontario Press Council, a non-government group that helps ensure journalistic standards and oversees complaints made about what is published.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure what the OP's criticism is. Don't hate The Sun unless you read it? Don't hate The Sun? I don't hate The Sun and neither should you? I hate The Star so you can't hate The Sun?

There are many good reasons to think The Sun is a piece of garbage, but I'm sure none of them are capable of infecting the reality of a person who proudly reads The Sun. Which kinda makes this thread trolling.

By the way, OP writer, when did you stop beating your wife?
 
Their habit of constantly writing "Eglington" is reason enough.

Also, Ave Street. Really?

EDIT: and who puts a space before their ellipses?

sunfrontmarch18map.jpg
 
Last edited:
I agree with ladyscraper. Regardless of its political position, it's a low-brow rag that either reports non-news (eg. Sunshine girls, sensationalist crime stories, etc.) or takes a shrill and reactionary stance on political issues that it doesn't do its homework on.

Just to be fair, NOW magazine is pretty similar to the Sun journalistically, except it positions itself on the far left. It also is shrill and reactionary and, just like the Sun, its columnists are seemingly always rage-filled and on the defensive. Their use of terms like "Herr Harper" is just as repulsive.
 
I miss Lubor J. Zink.
Me too, very funny guy.

What I am saying is that even if the political and social opinions of the Sun aligned perfectly with my own, I would never lower myself to reading a newspaper that would put things like this on their front cover:
Since you are aware of the Sun's position on things you must obviously of lowered yourself to read it despite your protestations. You had to reach back quite a distance to find an offending front page, I have been offended much more recently.

Because the Sun often adheres to post-truth politics etc...
Nice to know you read the New York Times, isn't a shame we don't all read it too.

I'm not sure what the OP's criticism is. Don't hate The Sun unless you read it?
No, the point is don't denigrate any newspaper, magazine or book unless you have read it. The thread starter makes no judgements on the content of any of the 3 papers but on the fact that this hypocracy seems only to be aimed at the Sun.

Their habit of constantly writing "Eglington" is reason enough
Reaching back to March 2009 for an example doesn't qualify as "constantly" to me
.

I agree with ladyscraper. Regardless of its political position, it's a low-brow rag that either reports non-news (eg. Sunshine girls, sensationalist crime stories, etc.) or takes a shrill and reactionary stance on political issues that it doesn't do its homework on.

Fair comment as long as it is your opinion arrived at by reading the paper.
 
What's worst about the Sun is that they tend to take an almost zero-thought formulaic approach to politics. If it is conservative, it is good. If it is liberal, it is bad. Recently Sue Ann Levy rated Toronto's councilors, and of course, those right of centre automatically got good marks - regardless of their actual performance. Hell, even the National Post occasionally puts some thought behind their pieces. For example, they are not afraid to criticize Ford while the Sun worships him as if he was a God.

Yes, I will admit I occasionally read the Sun. My co-workers tend to buy it and leave it in the lunch room, and it can be a guilty pleasure just to see how dumb you can be and still get a job in journalism.

One last observation: anyone find it ironic that the paper will publish Michael Coren rant on how sex is a sin, while in the back of the paper there are escort ads?
 
What's worst about the Sun is that they tend to take an almost zero-thought formulaic approach to politics. If it is conservative, it is good. If it is liberal, it is bad. Recently Sue Ann Levy rated Toronto's councilors, and of course, those right of centre automatically got good marks - regardless of their actual performance. Hell, even the National Post occasionally puts some thought behind their pieces. For example, they are not afraid to criticize Ford while the Sun worships him as if he was a God.
You could switch the terms conservative and liberal as used above to describe the Star and there is nothing wrong with that, that is there position on the political spectrum.
Yes, I will admit I occasionally read the Sun. My co-workers tend to buy it and leave it in the lunch room, and it can be a guilty pleasure just to see how dumb you can be and still get a job in journalism.
Reading something you disagree with is good even if you think it is funny.
One last observation: anyone find it ironic that the paper will publish Michael Coren rant on how sex is a sin, while in the back of the paper there are escort ads?
Some would call this ironic, others may call it balance.
 
Since you are aware of the Sun's position on things you must obviously of lowered yourself to read it despite your protestations. You had to reach back quite a distance to find an offending front page, I have been offended much more recently.

Yes, my mom gets it delivered. I saw it all the time growing up so I'm well aware of how bad it is from reading it first hand. For the image I posted, I just googled "Toronto Sun cover" and there were dozens I could have posted. I just picked one randomly.
 
You could switch the terms conservative and liberal as used above to describe the Star and there is nothing wrong with that, that is there position on the political spectrum.

The consensus here seems to be that the above-quoted statement is incorrect. Despite its focus on "liberal issues", The Star has journalistic standards while The Sun does not. One of a gazillion examples: what kind of newspaper follows up letters to the editor with petulant one-liners?

And I still don't get the point of the post. You're both accusing people of criticizing The Sun without reading it, and then saying "gotcha" about people who actually cite the paper's shortcomings because it means they have read it. The point is, The Sun is garbage. And yet it exists, and the world is a poorer place for it. I say all that, and yet I was a loyal reader of Eric Margolis for many, many years.
 
I like The Sun because it covers important Toronto issues, like fecal matter.

2009-03-02_thumb.jpg
 
Last edited:
I don't read the Sun so I must read The Star -- what all Sun readers think, I guess?

Why not read them both as I and many others do, you are allowed. Maybe even required if you really are interested in more than one opinion on events that you can't attend or witness yourself.
 

Back
Top