The Board of Directors of the Quebec Press Council announced on Monday the appointment of Pierre-Paul Noreau as President, making him the 10and person to hold this office since the creation of the Council in 1973.
Mr. Noreau will replace the outgoing president, Paule Beaugrand-Champagne, retired and information consultant in Montreal, in office since 2014. He will take office on May 19.
Drawing on his experience in the media environment and his five years spent on the Board, particularly on the Board of Directors, Pierre-Paul Noreau believes he can “bring knowledge internally”, he explains enthusiastically to the To have to. In this sense, he says he is ready to take up the few challenges facing the Council, starting with the question of financing.
Holder of a Bachelor of Arts from Laval University, Pierre-Paul Noreau began his career in his hometown of La Tuque, working in a weekly newspaper and on the radio. He was later hired by The sun as a journalist, where he held various positions. His longest assignment was as parliamentary correspondent in Ottawa.
After having successively been desk editor, director of the economic pages, news editor, editorial director, vice-president and assistant editor for the daily newspaper of Quebec, he took the reins of the newspaper The right in 2015 as President and Publisher.
Since 2019, he has been President of the Michener Awards Foundation, which supports, stimulates and celebrates investigative journalism in the service of the public interest. Involved in various organizations, he notably sat on the boards of directors of News Media Canada, the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec, RecycleMédias and the Institut du Savoir Montfort.
“The quality of information has always been at the heart of the work and accomplishments of Pierre-Paul Noreau and his leadership is well established,” said the secretary general of the Press Council, Caroline Locher, in a press release. by the organization.
Challenges to overcome
“In recent years, our resources having diminished, we are a little more out of breath and we have a little more difficulty meeting our obligations,” explains Mr. Noreau.
While he is delighted with the sums spent on advertising in the Quebec media by the Legault government during the COVID-19 pandemic, the new president invites the Prime Minister “to come full circle by increasing his support for the Press Council, which does not hasn’t moved for more than 10 years.
He adds that in the era of social networks, public complaints filed with the Press Council are increasing. “Our capacities to treat them all are not sufficient. The board should be provided with additional human resources so that it can properly fulfill its mission,” he continues.
“The Council is there to serve the public,” insists Mr. Moreau. It is the guardian of ethics and quality standards [journalistiques]. »
In interview with The duty two weeks ago, the outgoing president also sounded the alarm about the financial difficulties of the media court of honor, whose survival is in danger, according to her.
Having worked for nearly 50 years to protect freedom of the press and defend the public’s right to quality information, the Council would also benefit from being more widely known to the public so that it can refer more naturally, believes the new president.