On Saturday afternoon, Jonathan Kay resigned his position as editor-in-chief of The Walrus magazine and thewalrus.ca.
As Jon himself has indicated, he has for some time felt a tension between his responsibilities as EIC of The Walrus and his personal role as an outspoken and opinionated commentator and provocateur in other print, broadcast, and social-media outlets. The Walrus is a magazine and a digital platform published by a not-for-profit charitable foundation with an educational mandate to provide forums for the Canadian conversation. The Walrus does not shy away from tackling difficult topics on any of its platforms: we represent multiple perspectives, not one single point of view.
As Jon said in a recent public statement: “From the beginning, it was obvious that it was going to be difficult for me to balance my instincts as a National Post–bred opinion writer with the more staid responsibilities associated with the leadership of a respected media brand.”
Jon chose to resolve the conflict by stepping away from The Walrus. I respect his choice and accepted his resignation. Jon is a talented editor who made a substantial contribution to The Walrus during his tenure as editor-in-chief. We thank him for his excellent work as EIC of The Walrus, and we wish him every success in the future—as a writer for many outlets, including, we hope, The Walrus.
Jon has saluted his colleagues at The Walrus over the past few days, saying, “I very much respect all the people on the editorial team there, and I know they will continue to make Canada’s best journalism,” and “Amazing people at that place, and I wish them every success.”
Carmine Starnino, our deputy editor, will perform the duties of the EIC during this period of transition, and I have every confidence that the senior and managing editors, along with the rest of the editorial team, will maintain our high standards on every Walrus platform.
The Walrus Foundation—its magazine, website, Walrus Talks events, partnerships, training programs, and other activities—will continue to fulfill its educational mandate and its mission to create forums for the Canadian conversation. We are committed to editorial freedom and to representing the widest possible diversity of perspectives on all Walrus platforms.
We thank all our subscribers, readers, users, attendees, writers, contributors, talkers, staff members, fellows, interns, partners, sponsors, donors, academic and other advisors, board members, and other volunteers for their ongoing engagement, enthusiasm, input, and support for all things Walrus.
