Christie Blatchford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christie Blatchford
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Blatchford on November 21, 2008
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| Born |
Christie Marie Blatchford
May 20, 1951 Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada
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| Died | February 12, 2020 (aged 68) Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | Ryerson University |
| Occupation | newspaper columnist, writer and broadcaster |
| Years active | 1972-2019 |
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Notable credit(s)
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Toronto Sun, National Post, The Globe and Mail |
| Spouse(s) |
Jim Oreto
(m. 1977; div. 1981)David Rutherford (div.) |
Christie Marie Blatchford (born May 20, 1951 – died February 12, 2020) was a well-known Canadian newspaper writer, journalist, and broadcaster. She wrote four non-fiction books during her career.
Christie Blatchford made history as Canada's first female sports columnist. She wrote about sports from 1975 to 1977. Over her 48-year career, she worked for all four major newspapers in Toronto. She won the National Newspaper Award for her column writing in 1999. In 2019, she was added to the Canadian News Hall of Fame. Her book, Fifteen Days, also won the 2008 Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction.
Early Life and Family
Christie Blatchford was born in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. Her parents were Kathleen and Ross Blatchford. Her father was in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He later managed a hockey arena in Noranda.
When Christie was in grade 11, her family moved to Toronto. Her father became the manager of the North Toronto Memorial Arena. She went to North Toronto Collegiate Institute and finished school in 1970. After high school, she studied journalism at Ryerson University. She also worked for the student newspaper, The Ryersonian. Her nephew, Andy Blatchford, is also a sports reporter.
Christie had many journalists in her family. Her grandfather, Andy Lytle, was a sports writer and editor. He worked for the Vancouver Sun and the Toronto Daily Star. Her uncle, Tommy Lytle, was an editor at the Toronto Star until he retired in 1974.
Christie Blatchford's Journalism Career
Christie Blatchford started working part-time for The Globe and Mail in 1972. She was still studying journalism at Ryerson at the time. She was a top student in her class. In 1973, the Globe hired her full-time. She worked as a general reporter.
From 1975 to 1977, she became a sports columnist for the paper. She was known as Canada's first female sports columnist. At that time, there were only six female sports reporters in all of North America. Her first column was about Bobby Hull not wanting to play in a hockey game. She wrote that hockey was "the only game in the world we play as good as anyone else." She worried that people making decisions might change the game too much.
Christie left the Globe and joined the Toronto Star. She was unhappy when one of her columns was changed without her permission. At the Star, she worked as a feature writer from 1977 to 1982. In 1978, she started covering criminal trials. This was a type of reporting she would do often throughout her career.
In 1982, she moved to the Toronto Sun. She wanted to write a light, funny column about her life. The Sun agreed, even though it meant a pay cut for her. Her column was first in the lifestyle section. After Paul Rimstead passed away in 1987, her column moved to a more important spot on page 5. Christie stayed at the Sun for 16 years. Later, she went back to reporting on harder news. She covered important trials like those of Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka.
In 1998, Christie joined the new National Post newspaper. The next year, in 1999, she won the National Newspaper Award for her column writing. In 2003, she left the Post to go back to The Globe and Mail. She worked there as a columnist for eight years.
Between 2006 and 2007, she traveled to Afghanistan four times. She reported on the experiences of Canadian soldiers there. Based on these trips, she wrote the book Fifteen Days. This book shared stories of bravery, friendship, life, and death from the Canadian Army. The book won the 2008 Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction.
In 2011, she returned to the National Post. She stayed there for the rest of her career. She also often appeared on CFRB radio as a guest and commentator for many years. She wrote a book called Helpless about the Grand River land dispute.
Illness and Passing
Christie Blatchford had to stop covering the 2019 Canadian federal election because of muscle pain. In November 2019, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. The cancer had spread to her spine and hip bones. In the same month, she was inducted into the Canadian News Hall of Fame. However, she was too ill to attend the ceremony.
She took time off from writing her column to get treatment. She received care at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. She had surgeries, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Christie Blatchford passed away in Toronto on February 12, 2020.
See also
- List of newspaper columnists
