The Journal of Quebec announces the closure of its presses. The daily will now be printed in Mirabel, where it is already The Journal of Montreal. A financial measure which announces a difficult year for the world of the written press.
The decision “was not easy to make”, said Thursday morning the publisher and editor of the Quebec newspaper, Sébastien Ménard, in a note addressed to readers and advertisers of the daily. However, it was necessary to “ensure the sustainability of the Quebec newspaper “, he explains, pointing to “the unfair competition that the giants of the Web deliver to traditional media, combined with that of Radio-Canada”.
This upcoming change will therefore make it possible to combine the printing of Quebecor’s two daily newspapers in the same place.
To note that The duty is also printed on Quebecor’s presses. The Berri Street daily will continue to be published in the Quebec region, but the copies intended for it will henceforth also be produced in Mirabel.
The closure of the Québec printing plant, which had been established in the Vanier sector for more than 50 years, led to the layoff of 21 employees. The presses are scheduled to cease operations on February 4.
Early cut-off time
The printing union, which was only made aware of the decision on Wednesday evening, was stingy with comments on Thursday. “The union must carry out a thorough analysis of all angles of the situation. We must enter into negotiations with the employer in order to assert the rights of the employees. We will not comment further on the news so as not to harm these important discussions, ”said union representative Marc-André Roy, of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, in a press release.
The management of the daily, it was reassuring about the future of the paper edition. The Journal of Quebec will continue to be printed and delivered six days a week, assured Sébastien Ménard. And since the facilities at Mirabel are more modern, The Journal of Quebec will now be fully printed in color. In its letter to readers and advertisers, the publisher and editor also pledged to increase local coverage in the pages of the Quebec newspaper.
On the other hand, the relocation of the impression of everyday life will oblige him to bring forward his deadline, and therefore to adapt his approach to events taking place in the evening. These will still be covered by journalists, but their articles will only be accessible digitally.
Permanent crisis
Less than a month ago, Quebecor had already announced the end of the Sunday paper edition of Montreal Journal and Quebec newspaper from 2023, once again due to “globalized competition from the giants of the Web” and difficulties in recruiting street vendors.
Two bad news occurring in quick succession and which portend a difficult year not only for Quebecor, but for all the written media, insists journalism professor Patrick White. “The media crisis is permanent. There was a two-year upturn because of COVID-related advertising revenue. But all that is well and truly over. We thought the crisis was over, but in the end, the worst may be ahead of us when we see the layoffs in the United States and around the world, ”continues the one who teaches at the School of Media at UQAM.
Patrick White also cites the high price of paper to explain the current difficulties of the written press all over the world. A context which, according to him, will force the media to make difficult choices in the months and years to come regarding their printed edition. Already, The Press has been digital only since 2017. And the Coops de l’information dailies are only printed on Saturdays.
” [La fin de l’impression à Québec], that may announce the end in the medium or long term of paper at Quebecor. But Quebecor clearly still believes in paper for now. That their two dailies continue to be printed six days a week sends a strong message. We must nevertheless expect that digital will continue to take more and more place in the coming years”, underlines Patrick White, who was head of news at the Quebec newspaper between 2006 and 2009.