02.12.2020 08:25 AM

Christie Blatchford, RIP

What a huge loss to journalism and the country.

And I say that with sincerity – she kicked the living shit out of me in the paper more than once! And I usually deserved it.

She was a big Joey fan, so I sent her a get-well Joey pic just last week. So, here it is again, in the hope that it makes her smile in the newsroom upstairs.

10 Comments

  1. Lana Do says:

    RIP Christie Blatchford!
    Death and Taxes are something nobody can avoid!
    You were outspoken alive and you will more so in heaven at last!
    Good bye Christie and no one here can replace your voice and your heart ever!

  2. Robert White says:

    I wrote to Ms. Blatchford a couple of times to give her hell over a couple of articles she wrote only to find the corollary Hell instantly in my incoming email. She had a great sense of what it takes to be a real street fighter.

    My kind of woman, frankly.

    RIP, Ms. Blatchford.

    Robert

  3. Pedant says:

    This is devastating news, and I don’t use that word often. The woman was pure talent. I had no idea she was ill. A terrible blow to Canadian journalism.

  4. Dawn Mills says:

    I met Christie too many years ago when I was a wee rink rat hanging around North Toronto Arena where her dad was Manager. Kind and gruff, like her Dad.
    RIP

  5. J.H. says:

    She was one of the few ethical journalists of quality left in this country. She didn’t sell out to anybody and called a spade a spade.
    This is a terrible day for Canadian journalism.

  6. Steve T says:

    Christie Blatchford was amazing. If you’ve never read her book “Life Sentence”, you should. It is a scathing indictment of our broken judicial system in Canada.

    So many people advocate for the perpetrators of crime, providing them with a litany of excuses, but far fewer advocate for the victims. Christie Blatchford was an outstanding victim advocate.

  7. Certainly one of the best journalists this country has ever produced. Tough but fair, and not afraid to speak truth to power. She wore her heart on her sleeve, and didn’t mince her words. Thoughtful and provocative, and always well spoken. She will be missed. RIP Christie. I hope you and your dad are at some hockey rink right now catching up and enjoying a coffee.

  8. Fred from BC says:

    A big loss for Canadian journalism, for sure.

    (and I mean the real, old-school journalism)

    It says a lot about a person, I think, when even the people who didn’t necessarily like you still profess respect for you upon your passing. She was one of a kind, and will be greatly missed.

    (I’d also be remiss if I didn’t commend our host for such a classy post, given the nature of their relationship. Well done, sir…)

  9. Pedant says:

    Really Mike? Nothing? One of the premier Canadian journalists of our age, a titan of the printed word, and you can’t think of a single time you admired her writing? Are you really THAT miserable a partisan?

  10. lyn says:

    I will miss Christie’s columns and YouTube…she was a straight shooter. You got the truth from her like many have said she was one of a kind. RIP Christie Blatchford!!

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