Telegraph-Journal

The paper has been published out of Saint John since 1862, when it was started as The Morning Telegraph.{{cite web |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/newspaper/morning-telegraph-saint-john-new-brunswick-1862 |title=The Morning Telegraph (Saint John, New Brunswick: 1862) |website=New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project |publisher=University of New Brunswick Libraries |access-date=20 December 2023}} The paper merged with several other New Brunswick papers in the following decades: the Morning Journal in 1869,{{cite web |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/newspaper/st-john-daily-telegraph-and-morning-journal-1869 |title=St. John Daily Telegraph and Morning Journal (1869) |website=New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project |publisher=University of New Brunswick Libraries |access-date=20 December 2023}} The Sun in 1910,{{cite web |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/newspaper/daily-telegraph-and-sun-saint-john-new-brunswick-1910 |title=The Daily Telegraph and The Sun (Saint John, New Brunswick: 1910) |website=New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project |publisher=University of New Brunswick Libraries |access-date=20 December 2023}} and The Daily Journal in 1923, which is when it first adopted the name Telegraph-Journal.{{cite web |url=https://newspapers.lib.unb.ca/newspaper/telegraph-journal-1923 |title=Telegraph Journal (1923) |website=New Brunswick Historical Newspapers Project |publisher=University of New Brunswick Libraries |access-date=20 December 2023}} Capitalist Kenneth Colin (K.C.) Irving, without formal announcement bought New Brunswick Publishing and the Telegraph-Journal, as well as a local Saint John radio station CHSJ in 1944. Eventually word got out that Irving had bought the paper as he began purchasing others in the province.{{cite book |last=Poitras |first=Jacques |title=Irving vs. Irving: Canada's Feuding Billionaires And The Stories They Won't Tell |location= Toronto |publisher=Penguin Canada |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-14-319302-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yl5WBAAAQBAJ}}{{Page needed|date=February 2024}}

In 1998, the Irving family created Brunswick News to merge their various media holdings, including the Telegraph-Journal.{{cite book |last=Poitras |first=Jacques |title=Irving vs. Irving: Canada's Feuding Billionaires And The Stories They Won't Tell |location= Toronto |publisher=Penguin Canada |date=2014 |isbn=978-0-14-319302-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yl5WBAAAQBAJ |page=200}} In 2022, Toronto-based Postmedia acquired Brunswick News for $7.5 million cash and $8.6 million in variable voting shares.{{cite news |title=Postmedia buys Telegraph-Journal, other N.B. papers |url=https://tj.news/telegraph-journal/101800917 |access-date=14 September 2023 |work=TJ.news |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Ibrahim |first1=Hadeel |title=Irving-owned New Brunswick newspapers to be sold to Postmedia |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brunswick-news-sold-postmedia-1.6356427 |access-date=14 September 2023 |work=CBC News |date=February 18, 2022}}

The Telegraph-Journal has been the focus of controversy several times, with allegations of media control, bias and advocacy journalism on behalf of business and political interests. A report from the Canadian Senate in 2006 on media control in Canada singled out New Brunswick because of the Irving companies' ownership of all English-language daily newspapers in the province, including the Telegraph-Journal. Senator Joan Fraser, author of the Senate report, stated, "We didn't find anywhere else in the developed world a situation like the situation in New Brunswick."{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/feds-must-examine-irving-media-empire-fraser-1.677605 | title=CBC: Feds must examine Irving media empire|date=12 October 2007|access-date=24 March 2016}} The report went further, stating, "the Irvings' corporate interests form an industrial-media complex that dominates the province" to a degree "unique in developed countries." At the Senate hearing, journalists and academics cited Irving newspapers' lack of critical reporting on the family's influential businesses.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2009/06/17/hot_scoop_burns_reporter_at_irving_paper.html | title=The Star: Hot scoop burns reporter at Irving paper | website=Toronto Star |date=17 June 2009|access-date=24 March 2016}}

Irving family scion Jamie Irving took over as publisher in 2005, after which criticism of the Telegraph-Journal{{'}}s journalism became even more prevalent. This was particularly notable during the newspaper's reporting of issues related to electricity rates and NB Power, the crown corporation responsible for power generation and distribution. Editorials argued against rate increases that would harm J.D. Irving Ltd but failed to acknowledge the conflict of interest.{{cite web|url=http://rrj.ca/the-calm-after-the-storm/ | title=Ryerson Review of Journalism: The Calm after the Storm |date=23 June 2010|access-date=24 March 2016}}

In 2009 the Telegraph-Journal weathered a storm of national attention after a series of incidents that raised issues regarding the newspaper's credibility. The Telegraph-Journal faced charges of political bias when it fired intern Matt McCann for writing a story about a protest against the award by the University of New Brunswick of an honorary degree to New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham. In response to the firing, respected professors from the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison University and St. Thomas University announced a boycott of the newspaper.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/publisher-editor-out-over-wafer-story-1.834758 | title=CBC: Publisher, editor out over wafer story |date=28 July 2009|access-date=24 March 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/three_strikes_and_youre_fired.php?page=all | title=Columbia Journalism Review: Three Strikes and You're Fired |date=26 June 2009|access-date=24 March 2016}}

Further controversy arose over the Telegraph-Journal{{'}}s reporting of municipal affairs in Saint John. The newspaper ran a series of stories alleging mismanagement and inappropriate conduct by the City Manager and senior staff, based on what were later seen as fabrications, and faced allegations that it was using negative coverage to blackmail the City into making changes in administration and the tax rate. This led to a very public conflict between the Mayor and the newspaper.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/saint-john-mayor-claims-irving-demanded-city-hall-changes-1.799186 | title=CBC: Saint John mayor claims Irving demanded city hall changes |date=29 June 2009}}

Shortly after, in the "Wafergate" affair, Telegraph-Journal editors altered a news story about the funeral of Governor General Roméo LeBlanc to allege that the Prime Minister of Canada 'pocketed' a communion wafer while attending. The resulting controversy dominated national news coverage. Embarrassingly, the Telegraph-Journal was later forced to retract the allegation and apologize for fabricating the story after its own reporters threatened a lawsuit over editorial manipulation. The newspaper's credibility suffered further under critical national media attention.{{cite web|url=http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/er-never-mind/ | title=Macleans: Er, never mind|date=28 July 2009|access-date=24 March 2016}} Editor Shawna Richer was dismissed and publisher Jamie Irving was suspended.{{cite web|url=http://www.country94.ca/news/changes-confirmed-local-paper | title=Changes Confirmed at Local Paper |date=29 July 2009|access-date=24 March 2016}} A well-respected editor was brought in from outside the province to rehabilitate the publication, though Jamie Irving quietly returned to manage the Telegraph-Journal later in the year.

Controversy continued in 2009 when a Telegraph-Journal writer plagiarized an entire story from the French-language paper, L’Acadie Nouvelle. The incident triggered another apology from the Telegraph-Journal.

In 2015 the Telegraph-Journal once again came under scrutiny over its efforts to obtain, as part of a campaign for greater transparency into government lobbying and partisanship, lists of guests at the Government of New Brunswick's "Larry’s Gulch" luxury fishing lodge. An employee of Brunswick News, the newspaper's parent organization, had been a guest at the lodge and contrived to have his own name deleted from the lists prior to publication. Brunswick News had become aware of this ethical breach but didn't act until another news outlet, Canadaland, was about to break the story. The employee was forced out, and despite its earlier fervour for transparency the Telegraph-Journal quietly dropped further efforts to publish Larry's Gulch guest lists.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/2-moncton-times-transcript-editors-out-after-ethics-probe-1.2958665 | title=CBC: 2 Moncton Times & Transcript editors out after ethics probe |date=16 February 2015|access-date=24 March 2016}} Court proceedings in 2019 suggested that greater Irving family control over the newspaper's editorial direction was a factor in how the organization handled this affair.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/brunswick-news-al-hogan-wrong-alter-1.5188272 | title=CBC: Trial begins in NB editor's fishing-lodge firing case |date=24 June 2019}}

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Category:Mass media in Saint John, New Brunswick

Category:Postmedia Network publications

Category:Daily newspapers published in New Brunswick

Category:Newspapers established in 1862

Category:1862 establishments in New Brunswick