Along with a number of other changes announced yesterday, Metro has appointed Dianne Rinehart as its new editor-in-chief for English Canada. The veteran journalist’s work has appeared in the Toronto Star, Globe and Mail, Montreal Gazette, Winnipeg Free Press, Calgary Herald and Vancouver Sun.
The new strategy at Metro, which is the leading free daily in Canada and elsewhere, says Rinehart, is ‘To find creative ways to out-report, out-design, out-delight, out-service and out-deliver the competition in the paper – and on the web.’ In pursuit of that ambitious goal, the editorial revamp includes:
• Repositioning Metro as a ‘hybrid newspaper’ – with an increased focus on magazine-style sections such as health, food, style and homes, in addition to exceptional news coverage.
• Adding several high-profile columnists including political analyst Lawrence Martin, environmentalist David Suzuki, humour writer Anne Hines, health expert Celia Milne, The Smart Cookies TV team’s financial advice, food writer Barb Holland, relationship expert Josey Vogels, and Alan Cross, host of The Ongoing History of New Music.
• Increasing synergies between the paper’s newsprint and online edition.
• Utilizing its six newsrooms across Canada to create a media platform that allows for in-depth local news coverage.
