Should we cover – or not – the new podcast of comedian Julien Lacroix or the upcoming release of the film Arlette, starring Maripier Morin? The denunciation movements today force the Quebec media to question their coverage of personalities targeted by allegations of sexual misconduct who are trying to return to the spotlight.
“The challenge is that we are entering this post-#Me-Too era without really having finished with the waves of denunciations, and we are gradually discovering [ce que ça implique] “, analyzes Philippe Lépine, director of the Culture and Inspiration section at the newspaper Subway.
Of course, the media has already had to cover the return of public figures who put their careers on hold, whether after negative reviews of their work, shocking statements or crimes punishable by justice. What is different this time is the context of denunciation in the public space, which opens the door to gray areas when no two stories are alike.
“It’s a lot on a case-by-case basis,” says Philippe Lépine. Last week, for example, his team discussed at length the place to be given to the return of Julien Lacroix. Recall that, two years after being targeted by multiple allegations of assault and sexual misconduct, the comedian announced the recording of a podcast in front of a limited audience for three evenings. He has since canceled everything after receiving “serious threats” and learning of the organization of a demonstration in reaction to his return.
Unlike many media, the newspaper Subway chose not to focus on the event organized by Julien Lacroix. The microphone was instead handed to a woman who denounced a public figure on social networks and to a lawyer accompanying victims of crime in order to explain how they may feel when they see their alleged attacker reappear in the media.
“We wanted to talk about it differently. Yes, covering the return of denounced artists is in the public interest. But why plaster it everywhere for a podcast in front of 25 people? We didn’t want to give visibility to a project that wasn’t that big,” says Philippe Lépine.
A few weeks earlier, the daily had nevertheless published an article following an Instagram post by Julien Lacroix on his son’s first birthday. A month before, Subway also announced the pregnancy of Maripier Morin. “Our thinking is evolutionary. We have thought about best practices; we had an awareness after these articles, ”defends Mr. Lépine.
“Why should we talk about an event? How ? Will our coverage hurt alleged victims? It is our role to ask ourselves these questions today,” he insists, emphasizing the complexity of this media coverage.
The proof is that the majority of newsrooms contacted by The duty declined our interview requests or did not call us back.
At Radio-Canada, it was simply specified that “there is no editorial line that is dictated in the case [d’un retour à la vie publique d’une personnalité dénoncée]. If the person is part of cultural news, it is possible for the newsroom to do coverage of the event. »
Priority to the public interest
At To have to, the editor-in-chief, Marie-Andrée Chouinard, insists: the public interest must come first. “I would be uncomfortable to decree that there is potential new entry being held back by certain principles. […] We believe in rehabilitation, in Quebec, and that also applies to alleged sexual aggressors, presumed innocent in the eyes of justice, she adds. You can’t put someone on the shelf forever, especially if that person has started a process of reparation. »
In his eyes, however, it is inconceivable to disregard whistleblowing movements when deciding to cover the work of a person who has been targeted by allegations of sexual misconduct. “Context is valuable. Is this a popular denunciation? A denunciation with a complaint to the police, followed by a conclusive investigation, a trial, a conviction? […] Was there an apology, a restorative approach? All of this can make a big difference. She also believes it necessary, as The duty was able to do so in the case of the return of Julien Lacroix, to give the floor to the alleged victims.
Marie-Andrée Chouinard believes, however, that each case is unique. From Roman Polanski to Julien Lacroix, for example, “there is a universe of differences”: the social context, the era, the legal context, the alleged facts. “You have to assess each situation separately. »
Unprecedented
“How long does it take to be forgiven? Who has the right to a second chance? How do we talk about it? We all ask ourselves these questions, not just the media. Unfortunately, there are no good answers yet at the end of the book since it is still being written. The #MeToo movement is unheard of, there is no precedent,” notes Martine St-Victor, communications strategist and general manager of the Montreal office of the public relations agency Edelman.
If she considers that the consumer will have the last word, she judges that the media still have a role to play in the rehabilitation (or not) of the people denounced.
“I understand that a media that has followed the whole saga of the denunciation of a person decides to mention his return. Afterwards, there is a big difference between writing an article with context and a reminder of the facts to talk about a return, and criticizing a new cultural production without recalling the denunciations, ”she underlines, putting warns the media against the risk of becoming “a mere promotional tool”.