[9] Its applications that year were declined by both organizations, with statements that the juries felt that the publication was substandard; it was viewed more favourable by the University of Ottawa, which sought permission to reprint half a dozen Idler articles as "examples of fine prose" in a textbook of essays and journalism.
[12] In 1989, Warren left the magazine to become a political columnist for the Kingston Whig-Standard, and Owen was joined by new partners Paul Wilson and Alexander Szemberg.
[18][19] Although founded on High Tory conservative principles, contributors to the magazine actually represented a much more diverse range of political views.
[20] One of its sole ideological redlines was that it would not publish content that supported abortion;[20] otherwise, the magazine was willing to print any writing, whether progressive or conservative or apolitical, that was written from an intellectual perspective and not beholden to what Warren perceived as Establishment values.
We reviewed heavy books, devoted long articles to subjects such as birdwatching in Kenya or the anthropic cosmological principle, and we printed mottoes in Latin or German without translating them.
[22] The first appearance of "Amours & Companions" consisted entirely of fake ads written by the staff to demonstrate the desired tone for real submissions in subsequent issues.
[22] Contributors to the magazine included Scott Symons, Michael Coren, Malcolm Muggeridge, Josef Skvorecky, Jane Jacobs, George Grant, Andrew Coyne, Neil Bissoondath, Mark Kingwell, Patricia Pearson, David Frum, Kildare Dobbs, Russell Smith and Danielle Crittenden.