WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

daily newspaper published in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Can., whose outspoken independence and championship of public service and minority causes have made it known as Canada's Gadfly. Established in 1872 by William F. Luxton and John A. Kenny as the Manitoba Free Press, the paper grew in circulation and influence during Canada's westward expansion in the 1880s. From 1901 its editor was John Wesley Dafoe, who guided the paper for more than 40 years and established its political independence and commitment to public service. The coverage of local, national, and international news in the Free Press is widely respected, and its editorials have won international recognition.