Ottawa Citizen

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The Ottawa Citizen (established 1845) is an English-language daily newspaper owned by CanWest Global in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper has a circulation of 141,540.

The newspaper was established by William Harris as The Bytown Packet and was renamed the Citizen in 1851. Its original motto, which has recently been returned to the editorial page, was Fair play and Day-Light.

The paper has been through a number of owners. In 1846, Harris sold the paper to John Bell and Henry J. Friel. Robert Bell brought the paper in 1849. In 1877, Charles Herbert Mackintosh, the editor under Robert Bell, became publisher. In 1879, it became one of several papers owned by the Southam Family. It remained under Southam until Southam itself was purchased by Conrad Black's Hollinger Inc.. In 2000, Black sold most of his Canadian holdings to CanWest Global.

The editorial view of the Citizen has varied with its ownership, taking a reform, anti-Tory position under Harris and a conservative position under Bell. Under the Southams, it moved to the left, supporting the Liberals largely in opposition to the Progressive Conservative Party's support of free trade in the late 1980s. Under Black, it moved far to the right and became a supporter of the Reform Party. However, CanWest ownership has seen a return to Liberal support.

Following the purchase of the paper by CanWest Global, its publisher Russell Mills was fired for allowing an anti-Liberal editorial to be published in the paper."[Fired publisher named Nieman Fellow]", Harvard University Gazette. 2002.

The logo depicts the top of the Peace Tower of the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.

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