In a decision published Thursday, the Quebec Press Council (CDP) unanimously upheld the complaint of Améli Pineda, journalist at Duty, concerning complaints of incomplete information and lack of balance regarding an article and a podcast covering two years of denunciations of sexual misconduct targeting comedian Julien Lacroix. Consequently, the CDP blames journalists Isabelle Hachey and Marie-Ève Tremblay, as well as the daily The Press and radio station 98.5 FM. The Press intends to appeal the decision.
The CDP also accepted the complaints of Mme Pineda and a citizen, Suzanne Cholette, regarding a grievance of the appearance of a conflict of interest and blames Marie-Ève Tremblay. The Council unanimously rejected the five other complaints of incomplete information filed, as well as the complaints of inaccurate information and bias.
Remember that in July 2020, The duty published an investigation entitled “Julien Lacroix targeted by allegations of sexual assault and misconduct”. Journalist Améli Pineda reported the testimonies of nine women who described inappropriate acts of a sexual nature committed by the comedian. Some women spoke on condition of anonymity.
The complaints filed with the press self-regulatory organization relate to the article “The Julien Lacroix affair, two years later – Scars and regrets”, published on November 16, 2022 in the daily newspaper The Press, and on the four-episode podcast “The Julien Lacroix affair, two years later”, broadcast the same day on the 98.5 website. In this joint investigation, journalists Isabelle Hachey and Marie-Ève Tremblay reported that “women regret” having denounced the comedian and that “ [a]With hindsight, these women return to the public denunciations and their collateral damage.”
Different grievances upheld
In the reports covered by the complaints, the journalists claimed to have requested an interview with the Duty and ” [l]The daily accepted our request, on the condition of obtaining our questions in advance. We refused this condition.” The Press Council determined that journalists Hachey and Tremblay transmitted incomplete information on this point by “ignoring several important reasons for refusing the Duty and prevented the public from fully understanding this refusal.”
The CDP also concluded that there was a lack of balance. The decision states that “given that The duty was one of the parties directly targeted by this new investigation, journalists had an ethical obligation to present a fair weighting of the perspective of the Duty in that case “.
The Council also upheld the complaint of appearance of conflict of interest against Marie-Ève Tremblay. We read in the decision that “by interviewing a person [la conjointe de Julien Lacroix, Maude Sabbagh] with whom she had exchanged personal messages on social networks several times and for several years, the journalist placed herself in an apparent conflict of interest.”
The CDP unanimously rejected the five other complaints of incomplete information filed by the complainants relating to other passages of the reports. He also rejected complaints of inaccurate information and bias.
“Satisfied with the decision”
Améli Pineda affirms to be “satisfied with the decision of the Press Council which recognizes significant failings in the approach of Isabelle Hachey and Marie-Ève Tremblay who deviated from several principles of the Ethics Guide”.
She acknowledges that it is “unusual to file a complaint against colleagues, but their approach was just as unusual. Jeopardizing the confidentiality of my sources would have affected public confidence in our profession and this decision reinforces the position of the Duty “.
“The file has progressed within the appropriate body and today, I can turn the page,” adds Mme Pineda. This complaint was not a question of feelings or emotions, but a question of ethics and respect for the ethical standards that govern the profession of journalism. »
Brian Myles, director of Dutyindicates for his part that the decision “confirms in large part the discomfort and incomprehension that the approach of The Press and 98.5 had aroused within the management of the Duty. We hope that key leaders will be able to learn from this in the spirit of continuous improvement. The media already have their hands full in the current context of turbulence. They don’t need clashes among themselves. For us, the matter is closed. »
“La Presse” will appeal
François Cardinal, vice-president, Information, and deputy editor of The Press, indicated Thursday that it intended to appeal the decision. “We deplore that the Press Council has chosen to interfere in the editorial choices of The Press by allowing itself to redefine the angle of the report according to the vision of the complainants. »
Mr. Cardinal was also pleased that the Council rejected eight of the eleven grievances filed. “ [N]We would like to express our strong disagreement with the three grievances retained, he adds. We consider that these grievances are ill-founded and that this decision creates dangerous precedents which will undermine the ability of all Quebec journalists to carry out and publish investigations on subjects of public interest — not fair The Press. »
The deputy editor adds that he remains convinced that the report of The Press “was of incontestable public interest, that it demonstrated exemplary rigor and that the journalistic approach respected the rules of the art. »