Torstar Corp. announced Monday it is about to expand the Toronto Star brand nationally, hiring 20 journalists to join existing Metro newsrooms in Western Canada, as it reinvents its urban commuter newspapers and strengthens its digital news presence in five of the country’s largest cities.Thestar.com will significantly expand its digital presence in the five cities served by the Metro papers. Readers in each city will be directed to a version of the website featuring local and regional news in their market, along with investigations, columns, national and international news.Effective Tuesday, April 10, Torstar’s free Metro daily newspapers will be rebranded as StarMetro Vancouver, StarMetro Calgary, StarMetro Edmonton, StarMetro Toronto and StarMetro Halifax.The content will build on the award-winning journalism of the Toronto Star and thestar.com.“This initiative represents a major investment in journalism for Torstar in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Halifax where we already have a strong presence with our Metro newspapers and digital products,” said John Boynton, president and chief executive officer, Torstar. “We will focus on news our readers value highly, especially local news and investigative pieces that will set us apart from our competitors in these communities.” Investigations will play a large role in the expanded coverage in the cities served by StarMetro publications, said Cathrin Bradbury, Metro’s editor-in-chief. “It’s also about giving our customers something they can sink their teeth into after their morning commute – meaningful local news, exclusives, investigations and in-depth coverage they can follow throughout the day,” Bradbury said. Boynton said research shows that there is a large appetite in western Canada and the Maritimes for a progressive voice in the news media, which matches the Star’s history of championing progressive social issues and in-depth investigati ...
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