Montreal Magazine And the Quebec Magazine She was criticized from all sides on Thursday after she made it clear on the front page that the Indian alternative was in the country with a picture of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in traditional Indian dress. The political class fears that this will fuel “prejudices,” while the journalists of the Quebec daily newspapers worry about their credibility.
As journalists, we suffer the repercussions. Our reputation and credibility are in question, “as the editorial board chief orders at Quebec MagazineJean-Francois Racine recounts the “anxiety” he suffered when he discovered the front page of his diary Thursday morning.
Sur celle-ci, la photo de Justin Trudeau, habillé d’un vêtement traditionnel indien porté lors d’un voyage officiel en 2018, a été choisie pour illustrer la présence du variant indien au Canada, dont un premier cas au Québec a été annoncé The day before. “The alternative from India has arrived. So, Justin, are we cutting ties with India quickly this time?” Headlines daily.
An editorial choice that surprised more than one. On social networks, many Internet users quickly shared their discontent, some of them even thought in a joke. Many denounced the “mergers” that contribute to fueling “received ideas” and racism towards certain ethnic communities. Others called for a boycott of Kebecor newspapers.
However, the front page of the daily newspapers is not under the control of journalists. Rather, it is the prerogative of the direction, as indicated by the unions of the two newspapers. “Journalists are focusing on doing their job of informing the public about issues of public interest,” said the Federation of Media Workers in the Arab Republic of Egypt. Montreal Magazine, Hoping that this controversy “does not undermine the public’s perception of the quality and comprehensiveness of the work they do every day before [ses] Individuals “.
Despite 200 complaints, Quebec remains indifferent to the decisions of the Press Council
Complaints
Faced with the wave of criticism, editor-in-chief Montreal MagazineDanny Doucet emphasized that his team had never wanted to “offend anyone or target a group in particular”. “We are sorry if some people are injured,” he wrote this afternoon on the newspaper’s website. He added: “It is unfair to give us other intentions other than highlighting the exact position in which Justin Trudeau’s government finds itself on the issue of protecting our borders during the spread of the epidemic,” stressing the quality of the work of its journalists.
During the day, dozens of people filed a complaint with the Quebec Press Council. The organization specifies that the public has up to three months to file a complaint against a “press producer” before the complaints committee looks into the matter and assesses whether there is a mistake.
“Even if there are 200 complaints, Quebecor is still indifferent to the decisions of the Press Council,” laments Professor Marc Francois Bernier, who teaches ethics and professional conduct in journalism at the University of Ottawa. He noted that Kepecor has not been a member of the Press Council for more than 10 years. They have filed a lawsuit against him in court since 2018 to stop making decisions on them.
He argues that the front page is nonetheless “extremely problematic” from an ethical point of view. Using a picture of Justin Trudeau in 2018 – which has already had its share of controversies – we transform its original meaning to give it another meaning and then deceive our readers.
Mr. Bernier also believes that this front page departs from the media’s primary goal: to provide press information. Opinion and derision can be expressed by the media, but only through their columns or caricatures. There, on the front page, there is publicity and excitement. “
join dutyIn, the Professional Union of Journalists of Quebec indicated that it “never comments on the editorial options of the media.”
Reactions were also strong on Thursday in the National Assembly. Prime Minister Francois Legault, after sharing his concerns about the consequences of such an event, Benoit Charette, his minister responsible for combating racism, declared: “We must be careful not to stigmatize certain societies.”
We have seen an upsurge in racist acts targeting people of Chinese descent since the start of the epidemic. With similar representations, there is a risk of fueling biases, ” He wrote on Twitter.
For the leader of the Liberal Party in Quebec, Dominic Inglide, the daily newspapers in Quebec “fused” and fed “preconceptions”. And she insists, “This is unacceptable.”
Same story with Parti Québécois and Quebec Solidaire (QS). QS spokesperson Manon Massey also noted that “the virus is in fact not of ethnic origin.”
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