Michael Cooke
Encyclopedia
Michael Cooke is a journalist
and publishing executive. He is currently the Editor of the Toronto Star
, Canada's largest-circulation daily newspaper
.
. Cooke was first employed "in a small English coastal town" before making the move to Fleet Street
.
He joined the Montreal Gazette in 1977 as assistant city editor. While serving as city editor, he was awarded a 1982 Southam fellowship, providing eight months of study at the University of Toronto
. He then took a position as a joint managing editor for the Gazette.
In 1992, he was appointed managing editor of the Edmonton Journal
.
In 1995 he transferred to assume the role of editor at the Vancouver Province. His focus on entertainment journalism and readership at the expense of other reporting has been discussed by journalism scholars. He drew protests from within his own newsroom for what some described as "blatant political interference," such as ordering a professor's comments be removed from a story because they were too "left-wing." Under his leadership, the team surpassed the Vancouver Sun in readership and became the largest newspaper in British Columbia
.
He became involved as a founding editor of the 1998 creation of the National Post
newspaper, and worked as the Editor-in-Chief of the Financial Post
over the summer months as it prepared for the merger with the new publication. He still maintained his position with the Province for the next two years, before leaving for the United States.
, replacing outgoing editor Nigel Wade to whom he had been favourably compared, at the invitation of David Radler
. On January 18, 2000 he gave a lecture at the University of British Columbia
entitled "Where To Get Story Ideas Your Boss Will Love".
In 2001, he chaired a 500-seat dinner to honor Martin Luther King. The following year, he was thanked in Steve Neal's preface to his compilation Eleanor and Harry: The Correspondence of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. In 2003 he was among those thanked by author Jim DeRogatis
in the preface to his own book, Milk It: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90s, as he had worked under Cooke as a music critic.
In 2003, he was called to justify overseeing the publication of the identity and personal details of Chicago Cubs
fan Steve Bartman after a foul-up at a playoffs game lost the baseball team its chance at a championship win. Under his direction, the paper "leaned increasingly on traditional tabloid newspaper staples: aggressive city reporting, heavy doses of sports and celebrities, and lots of pictures of scantily clad women", while still publishing its "important exposes
".
In 2005, he was again thanked in the opening to Knocking Down Barriers and The Immortal Bobby.
in February 2005 to fill the vacancy left by Ed Kosner who had retired more than a year earlier. His new position was blamed for several staff members' resignations and editorial gaffes including the re-printing of a story he had written in Chicago.
He described the paper's on-going rivalry with the New York Post
stating "We put our foot on their throat every day and press down till their eyes bulge and leak blood, but still they won't die. We just have to keep at it till they do die". This came after the Post had referred to him as "the Cookie Monster
for the News" However, after ten months he began to clash with Editorial Director Martin Dunn
whom he described as "controlling", and eventually left the paper in 2005.
and Richard Roeper
mentioned Cooke in prefaces to their 2008 books. He remained with the Sun-Times through 2009, and explained his belief in tabloid pagination
stating that a ffront page requires two of the following: Power of presentation; humor; emotion; and attitude.
's pillaging of parent corporation Hollinger International would leave the newspaper with no choice but to file for bankruptcy protection. He left Sun-Media, to return to the Star where he took over as editor, while Don Hayner replaced him in Chicago. MacLeans columnist Paul Well wrote in his defence that Cooke "was obsessed with declining readership, declining market penetration, the increasing reluctance of younger generations to take up the newspaper-reading habit", and noted that the Star stood a better chance of success with Cooke at its helm. In April 2009, he joined the International Newspaper Marketing Association.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and publishing executive. He is currently the Editor of the Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, Canada's largest-circulation daily newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
.
Life and career
Cooke was born and raised in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Cooke was first employed "in a small English coastal town" before making the move to Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
.
Move to Canada
Cooke then secured work in Canada as a copy editor for the Toronto Star from 1974-77, where he finished as Assistant National Editor.He joined the Montreal Gazette in 1977 as assistant city editor. While serving as city editor, he was awarded a 1982 Southam fellowship, providing eight months of study at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
. He then took a position as a joint managing editor for the Gazette.
In 1992, he was appointed managing editor of the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
.
In 1995 he transferred to assume the role of editor at the Vancouver Province. His focus on entertainment journalism and readership at the expense of other reporting has been discussed by journalism scholars. He drew protests from within his own newsroom for what some described as "blatant political interference," such as ordering a professor's comments be removed from a story because they were too "left-wing." Under his leadership, the team surpassed the Vancouver Sun in readership and became the largest newspaper in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
He became involved as a founding editor of the 1998 creation of the National Post
National Post
The National Post is a Canadian English-language national newspaper based in Don Mills, a district of Toronto. The paper is owned by Postmedia Network Inc. and is published Mondays through Saturdays...
newspaper, and worked as the Editor-in-Chief of the Financial Post
Financial Post
The Financial Post was an English Canadian business newspaper, which published from 1907 to 1998. In 1998, the publication was folded into the new National Post, although the name Financial Post has been retained as the banner for that paper's business section and also lives on in the Post’s...
over the summer months as it prepared for the merger with the new publication. He still maintained his position with the Province for the next two years, before leaving for the United States.
Move to Chicago Sun-Times
In 2000, Cooke was appointed Editor of the Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, replacing outgoing editor Nigel Wade to whom he had been favourably compared, at the invitation of David Radler
David Radler
F. David Radler is a Canadian executive and close associate of Conrad Black for 36 years. Radler was once president of Ravelston Corporation, a privately owned corporation owned by Black and Radler to control their former newspaper empire. Ravelston owned Argus Corporation which in turn...
. On January 18, 2000 he gave a lecture at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
entitled "Where To Get Story Ideas Your Boss Will Love".
In 2001, he chaired a 500-seat dinner to honor Martin Luther King. The following year, he was thanked in Steve Neal's preface to his compilation Eleanor and Harry: The Correspondence of Eleanor Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman. In 2003 he was among those thanked by author Jim DeRogatis
Jim DeRogatis
James "Jim" DeRogatis is an American music critic and co-host of Sound Opinions. DeRogatis has written articles for magazines such as Spin, Guitar World and Modern Drummer, and for fifteen years was the pop music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times.He joined Columbia College Chicago as a full-time...
in the preface to his own book, Milk It: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90s, as he had worked under Cooke as a music critic.
In 2003, he was called to justify overseeing the publication of the identity and personal details of Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
fan Steve Bartman after a foul-up at a playoffs game lost the baseball team its chance at a championship win. Under his direction, the paper "leaned increasingly on traditional tabloid newspaper staples: aggressive city reporting, heavy doses of sports and celebrities, and lots of pictures of scantily clad women", while still publishing its "important exposes
Expose
Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to:-Technology:* Exposé , a window management tool for Mac OS X** Exposé clone, computer software which mimics the Mac OS X feature-Music:...
".
In 2005, he was again thanked in the opening to Knocking Down Barriers and The Immortal Bobby.
Move to New York Daily News
Cooke joined the New York Daily NewsNew York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
in February 2005 to fill the vacancy left by Ed Kosner who had retired more than a year earlier. His new position was blamed for several staff members' resignations and editorial gaffes including the re-printing of a story he had written in Chicago.
He described the paper's on-going rivalry with the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
stating "We put our foot on their throat every day and press down till their eyes bulge and leak blood, but still they won't die. We just have to keep at it till they do die". This came after the Post had referred to him as "the Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
for the News" However, after ten months he began to clash with Editorial Director Martin Dunn
Martin Dunn
Martin Dunn is a British newspaper editor.Dunn attended Dudley Grammar School, then started his journalistic career on the Dudley Herald. In 1977, he moved to the Birmingham Evening Mail, then the Birmingham Post, and the Daily Mail. After a period as a freelance, he joined The Sun in 1983, as...
whom he described as "controlling", and eventually left the paper in 2005.
Return to Chicago
Cooke returned to the Sun-Times where he was promoted to oversee approximately a hundred subsidiary papers. Both Mike HoulihanMike Houlihan
Mike Houlihan is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Kilmallock and was a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team between 1987 and 1999...
and Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Richard E. Roeper is an American columnist and film critic for The Chicago Sun-Times and now a co-host on The Roe Conn Show on WLS-AM...
mentioned Cooke in prefaces to their 2008 books. He remained with the Sun-Times through 2009, and explained his belief in tabloid pagination
Pagination
Pagination is the process of dividing information into discrete pages, either electronic pages or printed pages. Today the latter are usually simply instances of the former that have been outputted to a printing device, such as a desktop printer or a modern printing press...
stating that a ffront page requires two of the following: Power of presentation; humor; emotion; and attitude.
Return to Toronto Star
He predicted in February 2009 that Conrad BlackConrad Black
Conrad Moffat Black, Baron Black of Crossharbour, OC, KCSG, PC is a Canadian-born member of the British House of Lords, and a historian, columnist and publisher, who was for a time the third largest newspaper magnate in the world. Lord Black controlled Hollinger International, Inc...
's pillaging of parent corporation Hollinger International would leave the newspaper with no choice but to file for bankruptcy protection. He left Sun-Media, to return to the Star where he took over as editor, while Don Hayner replaced him in Chicago. MacLeans columnist Paul Well wrote in his defence that Cooke "was obsessed with declining readership, declining market penetration, the increasing reluctance of younger generations to take up the newspaper-reading habit", and noted that the Star stood a better chance of success with Cooke at its helm. In April 2009, he joined the International Newspaper Marketing Association.