Quebec journalism is more alive than ever! The statement may seem presumptuous in these times of crises and permanent doubts, but when you look twice, Quebec stands out in several respects. First, by its reactivity to the upheavals in the economic model of the press, by its creativity, by its resistance too, and above all by its singularity.
In what country, in what province, on what continent, have we seen an industry organize so quickly to save its daily newspapers from a capitalist world tired of losing money in the face of unfair competition from digital giants? The beautiful health of Duty and of The Press, the agility of Information Coops demonstrates our ability to reinvent ourselves in a bloodless and very competitive market. With The Montreal Journal And The Quebec Journalthese daily newspapers contribute to maintaining a rich and diversified media space for a relatively narrow population base.
Faced with the inevitable phenomenon of digital transformation, the response was collective and cooperative, carried out with the support of the authorities of course, but above all, with loyal readers and listeners, visibly very attached to their media.
Meanwhile, our neighbors to the South saw more than 130 newspapers disappear in 2022 alone.
A study from Northwestern University in Chicago, published last November, reports an unprecedented phenomenon, thus throwing more than one in five Americans into a situation of under-information. Media deserts which, obviously, weigh heavily on the democratic system.
Let’s admit that we are a long way from that in Quebec. The country’s community radio stations are celebrating their 50 years of history in the region, in an atmosphere of renewal that deserves to be highlighted. Local, even hyperlocal, information is experiencing great growth with titles that are appearing on the Web with brilliance and ingenuity. Let’s think about Extensive program, The neighbors’ newspaper, Octopus, Converse, Pivot, The Rover, not to mention the numerous bloggers and podcast hosts, who now abound on the Quebec Web. The big players are also there with original offerings like Rad, QUB, Les As de l’info and many others.
Of course, this uproar challenges preconceived ideas and forces us to review our way of doing journalism. It shakes many certainties, including the famous question of objectivity at all costs. Paradigms are changing, that’s obvious, which makes popularizer-citizen Farnell Morisset say that the traditional media must seriously question themselves, since with his simple smartphone and his brilliant adolescent look, he often manages to reach more people than many established broadcasters, with much greater resources than their own…
Meanwhile, the public is asking for more. The response from the many “news curious”, as we called them at the Carleton-sur-Mer International Journalism Festival, is dazzling. The greedy desire to be informed, to understand, to share cannot be denied. Many of them will still make the trip to Gaspésie in mid-May to express their point of view and hear those who inform them daily in every possible and imaginable way. This is another reason to rejoice, despite a context that is sometimes anxiety-provoking and not always easy, it is true.
Journalism as we are collectively reinventing it in Quebec is a formidable response to the current information chaos and clearly demonstrates the strength of the environment and citizen attachment to information. We often talk, rightly, about our distinct culture, but we can now also talk without embarrassment about Quebec’s journalistic exception.
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reference: www.lapresse.ca