Distinguished by a written constitution committing it to liberal causes, the Toronto Star was otherwise a typically failing newspaper when it was unexpectedly sold to a pair of conservative entrepreneurs who the city's elite assumed would break it up for parts.

Even as the new owners were finalizing their deal, the Star's reporters, like all white color workers, were sent home to grapple with the task of investigating the biggest health crisis in human history from their kitchens.

As the pandemic descended, the paper's new owners, and its journalists, discovered a level of purpose greater than any they had ever known. Will that be enough to save the cornerstone of democracy?

Filmed during Toronto's long Omicron lockdown, Viral News is directed by acclaimed Canadian documentarian Kevin McMahon (The Falls, Mcluhan's Wake, Borealis).