Starting from almost nothing 10 years ago, the Quebecor Bureau of Investigation has become a reference by tirelessly exposing the shenanigans of politicians, organized crime and public institutions while defending the ordinary citizen.
As part of a special broadcast this evening on TVA and in a book to be published in The newspaper tomorrow, the team looks back on this decade marked by the scandals it brought to light.
On the menu: a return to the investigation of the permanent anti-corruption unit on Jean Charest and Marc Bibeau, the revelations on the links between relatives of organized crime and a subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt, the exclusive confidences of the interim sponsor of the Montreal Mafia… To name a few.
“The subjects change, but our work remains fundamentally the same: to show what other people would like to hide”, maintains Jean-Louis Fortin, director of the Bureau of investigation.
The idea of creating a team specializing in investigative journalism gained ground in 2012, when federal and provincial corruption scandals were in the news.
“Quebecor’s senior management was tired of seeing the team [de l’émission Enquête] release almost all the major investigations that shook Quebec,” summarizes Dany Doucet, editor-in-chief of the Montreal Journal.
In a bunker
Quickly, a team of around ten journalists and researchers with affinities for the investigation was set up and began to meet in a small room away from the newsroom.
“It was a bunker atmosphere! We wanted to be isolated to think differently, ”recalls Félix Séguin, journalist specializing in criminal cases.
With rigor, consistency and sensational first pages, the Bureau of Investigation established its reputation in the journalistic world and multiplied its confidential sources.
“What makes me most proud is having built expertise from scratch,” says Jean-Louis Fortin, contemplating the path travelled.
Formats also change over time. “Contrary to other media that do investigations, we produce documentaries, podcasts, microsites, books, which are adapted into films”, lists Félix Séguin, also host of the show. I.
- Listen to the interview with Jean-Louis Fortin on the Richard Martineau show via QUB-radio :
More relevant than ever
While citizens are drowning in a deluge of information, sometimes false, Jean-Louis Fortin is convinced that the reports of the Bureau of Inquiry are more relevant than ever.
“Politicians no longer need the media to say what they want to say. Our role is therefore to create value-added files that people would not otherwise have access to,” testifies the director, still as passionate about his mission.