At the beginning of her career, Céline Galipeau worked nights at CJMS. His last task before leaving the radio station: writing the news that the morning presenter would read… a certain Paul Arcand. “He would come into the studio and throw what I had written in the trash,” she tells me, laughing.
Today, it is she who is at the top of the bill, and this, since 2009, when she succeeded (finally!) to Bernard Derome after a few years to animate the Weekend newscast.
At the time, it looked a bit like the khaki jacket she wore while reporting was being forcibly ripped off. We felt her more or less at ease in her suit, under the spotlight.
But over the years, casually, she’s made this late-night newscast her own. “I love working in a team and getting involved in the production of the newsletter, it’s my favorite part,” she confides to me. But I also learned to love the more visible part of my job, because it is my connection with the public and I appreciate it. »
It slipped into a format – the Newscast – all in all quite classic and which has not changed much over the years. But she still put it in her hand, occasionally presenting the Newscast in the field. Like last March, when she returned to Ukraine.
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Céline Galipeau in interview with Nathalie Collard
It was good to be able to do my newscast outside, to take some airtime to deal with a question. I think it’s kind of my brand to have taken my experience abroad in the newsletter.
Celine Galipeau
another time
Céline Galipeau measures how much things have changed over the years for journalists who do international reporting. “When I went to Afghanistan in 2001, we grabbed vests that were lying around in the bottom of a cupboard in our office in Moscow, then we left. At the time, there was a certain carelessness. We left without giving too much news. We used to call Montreal once a day with a satellite phone to say: ‘Okay, today I’m going to do this’. Then there was no more news until the evening or the next day. It was part of the job. »
“Today, continues the journalist, we have GPS, people are following us, we always have to report. Everything got a little more complicated. »
Another major change: the closure of the offices of Radio-Canada in China and Russia, which marks the end of an era, according to Céline Galipeau. “What does that say about the years to come? On the difficulty of covering what is happening on the planet? “, she worries.
“In several countries, we can no longer travel without having security with us, which considerably increases the cost of coverage. But it also shows that everything is more risky, more complex. Even going to Lebanon or Iraq has become complicated. »
Céline Galipeau is aware of the danger that she and her colleagues represent for sources in the field. “It’s more dangerous today for some people to talk to us,” she whispers to me. Today, information travels so fast with mobile phones. People can be threatened or retaliated against. This is dramatic for us, for information and for freedom of expression. »
It’s not just in the hot spots of the globe where the practice of journalism is perilous. Even in Western countries, it can be dangerous, according to the head of the antenna. “There is a rise in skepticism with regard to institutions, notes Céline Galipeau, and journalists are being stirred up more than before. Going into the field as a journalist is more risky. They are insulted and spat on… People are angry, they have the impression that they are being taken in on all sorts of issues, including immigration. Change is scary and I can understand that. We try more than ever to explain better. »
the passion of the world
In an increasingly complex and polarized universe, Céline Galipeau continues to defend the formula of Newscast. A formula that holds up, despite the fact that we regularly announce its disappearance. “It’s still a date,” she believes. Even if there is a fatigue that has set in among people. We feel it. They are less receptive. It’s a subject of discussion internally, we take that into consideration in the choice of our subjects and in the treatment. »
She gives the example of Haiti.
There is such a feeling of helplessness in the face of what is happening there. People tell us: we always see the same thing, the same violence. On our side, it happens that we no longer know how to talk about it, we are aware that we have to explain it differently, but I think we should talk about it anyway. And management supports us in that.
Celine Galipeau
I can’t leave Céline Galipeau without talking to her about the Lisa LaFlamme “affair”, this news presenter fired from CTV, among other things, because of her gray hair. “It was a shock for us in the room, launches the journalist. I regret to say it, but ageism is still very present in my profession. When I went to Ukraine, I was told things like: ‟My God, Radio-Canada must be desperate to send an old crouton to Ukraine!” It makes me realize that yes, I’ve aged and that yes, eventually, I won’t always be here… I didn’t think about that before, I was working, I was pursuing my career, but I realize that there maybe has people who think I’ve had my time…”
Céline Galipeau assures me that she is not ready to leave. “I know that there is an extraordinary succession, that does not worry me. But I still love my job and I hope I can continue to do so. I think my bosses and the public still appreciate it… Anyway, I hope so. »
Questionnaire without filter
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Céline Galipeau in interview with Nathalie Collard
- Coffee and me: At least two double espressos in the morning. Afterwards, I take a lying down. And I drink decaffeinated after noon. Before I took it until the evening, but now I need it less. I love coffee. In Ukraine, I discovered that they have very high standards for coffee. They have amazing machines. At any gas station, the coffee is good.
- The books on my bedside table: I don’t have much time to read during the year, so I mostly read on vacation. I can’t wait to read Alexandra Szacka’s book (I will travel around the world, Boreal). Recently I read The country of others And watch us dance by Leila Slimani. I love stories that transport me elsewhere. I loved The gray bees (by Andrei Kurkov), because I like to read the novel of a country where I go on a report, it helps me to better understand people. Finally, I laughed a lot while reading carpal tunnel syndrome by John Boyne on the story of a BBC host who blunders on social media.
- A report I would like to do: I would like to go back to Afghanistan. I lived there for almost a year. It was significant for me. We gave a lot of hope to these people and it saddens me to see what is happening today, especially to girls and women.
- A story that stuck with me: It was in China, in 2008, before the Olympics. It’s a report on the one-child policy. My mother was Vietnamese and her great disappointment was to have had three daughters, even though she adored us. For her, it was tragic. In some societies, girls don’t count. I had seen it in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, but let’s say that seeing it in China, a society close to Vietnam, I felt it in my flesh.
Who is Celine Galipeau?
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, THE PRESS
Céline Galipeau is at the helm of the Newscast 10 p.m. since 2009.
- Head of the antenna Newscast 10 p.m. since 2009
- Former correspondent in Paris, London, Moscow and Beijing for Radio-Canada
- Winner of numerous awards, including the Prix Guy-Mauffette, the highest distinction awarded by the Government of Quebec to a person for their remarkable contribution to excellence in radio, television or both digital and traditional media, in 2021