Geldof and Bono guest editors at Globe; put the focus on Africa
Posted May 10, 2010 7:30 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Readers will notice something different in Monday morning’s edition of The Globe and Mail.
For the first time, the paper features two guest editors — Irish rock stars and anti-poverty activists Bono and Bob Geldof.
Bono and Geldof have guest-edited at other papers, but this is a North American first.
The pair flew into Toronto on Saturday to help put together Monday’s edition.
On the paper’s website, Geldof talked about their motivation.
“Bono and I are editing The Globe and Mail. Why? Because as you people more than anyone knows the G8 and G20 are coming. The rest of the world is coming to Canada as well, and we’re trying to get them to discuss seriously poverty in Africa as we always do,” Geldof said.
“Backstage is always an interesting place to be for a front man […] I love to see the process,” Bono said.
The edition features a special section called, “Emerging Africa” — a topic both men are passionate about.
As to why the Globe decided to bring in guest editors, the paper’s editor-in-chief, John Stackhouse, said he wanted it to be different than it is on any other day of the week. He describes the men as “lively, creative geniuses.”
The paper’s front page is a sea of red with the words “The African Century” written boldly in black, surrounded by many other words.
“You know, you’ve seen great photographs on the cover of The Globe and Mail and other newspapers before. But you never see text, a piece of text [as] art almost, that has all the ideas contained,” Bono said.
