SABEW Canada has given its Outstanding Achievement Award to longtime business journalism Michael Babad, who died last year.
Babad spent two decades as a senior business editor at The Globe and Mail, where he was universally beloved—a near-miraculous accomplishment in the journalism game. His writing displayed that rare combination of deep business knowledge and sly humor, and his Business Briefing consistently ranked among The Globe’s most-read articles.
He was early to embrace online journalism and recognize the value of reader data. Perhaps most important, he was a mentor and champion to generations of reporters, supporting them with kindness and patience.
In addition to his long career at The Globe, Babad was business editor at The Toronto Star, a senior manager at The Financial Post, and headed United Press International in Toronto before the wire service closed. Along with his wife, Catherine Mulroney, he also co-wrote three business books: “Campeau: The Building of an Empire;” “Pillars: The Coming Crisis in Canada’s Financial Industry;” and “Where the Buck Stops: The Dollar, Democracy and the Bank of Canada.” He did most of his book-writing in the early mornings before work rather than taking significant time off.
Babad died of cancer in March 2020, just days after filing his last Business Briefing column. He was celebrated at a packed memorial service just before the world went into lockdown, where Mulroney joked there were “three of us in this marriage” — referring to Babad’s devotion to The Globe.
As his long-time friend Eric Reguly wrote after Mike’s death: “To me, Mike was the heart and soul of The Globe, a gentle force of nature who combined humor, good nature, a strong work ethic and a killer news sense to make The Globe a fine paper and put a smile on the face of everyone who worked with him.”
