A Canadian scandal magazine, often compared to the British Private Eye.

Frank was first published in Halifax, Nova Scotia in November, 1987, and focused on the private lives of the rich and famous in the Maritime provinces. A separately-owned central Canadian edition was published that eventually outsold the original. Both editions profiled the goings on of Canada's politicians, elites, and media figures.

The editor and publisher of the central Canadian Frank through most of its history was Michael Bate . In 2003, the magazine was purchased by Globe and Mail business reporter Fabrice Taylor , who also became the magazine's new editor. In December 2004, the publishers of the central Canadian edition of Frank announced the closure of the magazine. The Atlantic edition continues to be published.

Frank found its niche in a Canadian media which has traditionally been reluctant to pry into the personal lives of politicians and other notables. The magazine often covered material found nowhere else. All articles in Frank were published anonymously, but many of its contributors and readers were writers working for more mainstream media outlets.

The stories in Frank were notoriously difficult to verify. However, the magazine broke a number of notable stories. They were the first to publish the tale of Mel Lastman's wife's shoplifting arrest, and they broke the stories of sexual abuse that saw former Nova Scotia premier Gerald Regan eventually go to jail. Many of those who had been written about, or Franked, threatened lawsuits, and most issues contained lengthy printed apologies.

Frank also contained a great deal of satirical content. Most famously, in 1991 the magazine ran a contest inviting young Tories to "Deflower Caroline Mulroney". Mulroney's father, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, joined several women's groups in denouncing the ad as an incitement to rape, but the magazine maintained that it was commenting on Brian Mulroney's perceived habit of using his daughter as a political prop.

Most contributors to Frank have been anonymous or have used pseudonyms. One notable exception was the humour column Aesthete's Diary, which was eventually revealed to have been written by Michael Coren.

See also

• Media in Canada

External links

• CBC News story: Frank magazine goes belly up