The series consists of records of Peter Worthington's career with the Toronto Sun chain of newspapers as editor, founder, part-owner, and columnist. In addition to story files, it holds correspondence; records relating to journalism and Sun philosophy; records of legal actions against the Sun, including libel cases; and records of his trial on allegations of violating the Official Secrets Act. His editorial correspondence and journalism files shed light on high-level editorial direction of the Sun. Memoranda and notes from 1971 discuss its founding philosophy and the decision to publish a tabloid, while documents from 1978 and 1979 offer candid views on the work of senior editors and an assessment of Sun staffers writing for the Sunday Showcase section. Another memorandum puts forth his version of his departure from the Sun in 1984. The series also includes letters in response to Sun stories from politicians and journalists. There is an interesting 1980 memo from Maclean-Hunter CEO Donald Campbell to Douglas Creighton about the benefits of closer cooperation with the Sun. Some other correspondents include John Diefenbaker, "Dear" Abby, Ed Asner, Conrad Black, and Keith Davey. Records of the charges for violating the Official Secrets Act and his acquittal at trial show the impact of Sun journalism on the federal government. His story files for the early Sun years reveal his continuing interest in the Cold War, communism, and national security. There is extensive correspondence with James Bennett, a deputy chief of the RCMP's counter-espionage unit, before his resignation in 1972, covering the years between 1967 and 1996. It also holds a nearly complete run of his Sun editorials and columns from 1971 to 1984.
Worthington returned to Sun Media in 1988 as the first editor of the Ottawa Sun and a columnist, with the title "Founding Editor", writing primarily on international affairs and national defence. The series includes his correspondence with Robert A. D. Ford, long-time ambassador to the Soviet Union, reflecting his deep interest in Russian affairs, while correspondence and writings on Igor and Svetlana Gouzenko continue this story line. There are also records relating to security issues concerning diplomat E. H. Norman, including a sound recording of a press conference given by Peyton Lyon to present the results of an official inquiry for the government. Worthington wrote frequently about the Department of National Defence in the early 1990s, often in collaboration with Scott Taylor and Col. Michel Drapeau. In response to his writing, National Defence lodged a formal complaint against him with the Ontario Press Council which, however, ruled in his favour. Controversies concerning veterans, military history, and commemoration also attracted his attention, from the documentary The Valour and the Horror to the new war museum. Southam News alleged that he had been an FBI informant in the late 1960s, informing on fellow journalists in the Canadian media. He filed a complaint with the Press Council against Southam and won his case. All of these issues and incidents are documented in the series with research material, correspondence, drafts of columns, and clippings. Though there is some material related to the Somalia incident and Inquiry, most of it is found in the Books series with the Scapegoat files.
Though defence and security issues predominate in this series, it also holds considerable documentation on stories championing underdogs in trouble with the judicial system. For Laurie Bembenek, a fugitive in Canada, convicted of murder in the United States, legal records, correspondence, clippings, sound recordings and photographs, document the case against her and her fight for exoneration. There is similar documentation of the cases of John Demjanjuk, a Ukrainian, under threat of extradition for war crimes at Treblinka, and Indian-rights activist Leonard Peltier, convicted of murder in the United States, and held in Leavenworth prison. For his election to the News Hall of Fame in 1996, there are his speaking notes, letters of congratulations, and clippings.
See also the Personal files series which are chronological files covering most of his time with the Sun.