Peter Haggert

Peter Haggert began his career as as a reporter in Northern Ontario, Canada, going on to serve as Toronto/provincial legislature reporter for Thomson newspapers, at the time a chain of 65 Canadian newspapers.

Offered the role of Ottawa (capital) bureau chief in his mid-20s, Peter chose instead to go the management route and took a number of editor postings where he was considered a fixer, taking on a broad scope complicated postings, ranging from product, content, process and financial overhauls. He served as editor of daily newspapers in three Canadian provinces during his media career. Before mergers became commonplace, Peter was the only editor in Canada asked to merge daily newspapers twice to take advantage primarily of morning delivery cycles. He become editor-in-chief of the Toronto Star’s community newspaper division in Toronto, overseeing ten newspapers and websites with newspapers placed on 500,000 Toronto doorsteps every week.

He has contributed extensively to industry organizations, serving terms as president of the Canadian Association of Newspaper Editors (now defunct), executive member of the Ontario Press Council, executive member Local Media Association Foundation board of directors, and long-time chair of the Atlantic Journalism Awards.

Currently, Peter’s company, Haggert Media Group, builds websites for newspapers and magazines and consults and trains on many topics. Currently contracted to Google, he teaches publishers how to optimize their website performance through audience development, and reader and advertising revenue. He is a sometime judge of National Newspaper Awards and other competitions in Canada.

He is a community leader in eastern Toronto borough of Scarborough, (pop 630,000) where he often acts as emcee for large events and conferences, and panelist or moderator for various meetings. He is a past president of the Scarborough Business Association and an executive board member of the Scarborough Walk of Fame Peter is a warden of St. John’s Anglican Church in Whitby, ON.

Peter is a leukemia patient – but very healthy – and speaks around the world on the patient experience. He is a member of the steering committee of the global advocacy organization CLLAN, and vice president of CLL Canada.

Statement from Peter:

“I am devastated by the condition of the media industry. It’s the lack of resources, the inability to serve their readership and it’s the constant suspicion or expectation of left- or right-leaning stories. The lack of trust that has developed is stunning.

I often spoke to the importance of relationship with your audience. The most trusted news (differing greatly from accurate) is the story told across the garden fence. Journalism needs to be the garden fence that intercepts and provides the facts in that conversation.

Yet, I am encouraged by new journalism models and new attempts to build sources of information trusted to guide decisions made by people on local, national and international levels.”