Remembering John Honderich

Gilbert Ngabo (Master of Journalism ’11) was an undergraduate student at the National University of Rwanda in 2007 when he first met John Honderich, the former editor and publisher of the Toronto Star, who passed away on Saturday, Feb. 5. Honderich was there as part of the Rwanda Initiative, a project he funded that saw more than 130 Canadian journalists train local journalists. 

“Some media outlets in Rwanda had played a role in inciting violence during the genocide,” says Ngabo. “John spoke to us about press freedom and how we as journalists were the ones who were supposed to uphold it, not abuse it, and the benefits of an objective media. He was a very strong voice but most of us didn’t know who he was. We just thought he was a good guy.”

Never did Ngabo imagine that Honderich would finance his graduate studies at Ryerson, become a mentor and friend, someone he would talk to about the stories of the day, how the Raptors were doing. “John was someone who wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and he did. It will be hard to find someone to fill his shoes,” says Ngabo of Honderich’s sudden passing (external link) . 

In 2008, Ryerson awarded Honderich an honorary doctor of laws degree for his many contributions to the university and the impact of his leadership of The Star. Just as he did with Ngabo, Honderich supported many journalism students from Rwanda with scholarships to complete their studies in Canada. 

Honderich’s support for the university was far reaching. The John A. Honderich Bursary is awarded to a journalism student with financial need and the John A. Honderich Gold Medal in Journalism is awarded to an outstanding graduating student from the school of journalism. A dedicated study area for graduate students in the SLC bears his name, and he made a foundational gift to support J-Source - The Canadian Journalism Project (external link) . He was also on the founding advisory group for the Ryerson Image Centre. One initiative that was particularly important to him was the Toronto Star Centre for Reporting at the Journalism School. 

In his speech to graduates in 2008, Honderich shared his deep connection to the university and why good journalism matters. His message to students then holds true today:

“ … the functioning of a healthy democracy is predicated on a well informed populace. If the media don't work well, society can suffer.” 

In 2019, Honderich received the Canadian Journalism Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award (external link) . 

“You don’t have to look far to see his legacy,” says Ngabo, a reporter at The Star. “At Ryerson he has helped make sure journalists who want to be trained can do so. At the Star, he steered the paper and supported and encouraged reporters. He became like family to me. I know many people who feel the same.”