Gone are the days when journalistic coverage was a copy-and-paste of elections after elections: two political parties, two buses to follow and two great moments, the debate and election night… Thank you, good evening!
Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Today, multiple questions arise, because multiple parties are fighting each other. So there are decisions to be made about where to allocate the newsroom’s precious resources.
Well, for these more important and exciting elections than it seems*, we will certainly not skimp on the means to The Press : reporters will follow all parties, including the Conservative Party of Quebec. They will be, for the duration of the campaign, in the buses of the five parties that have a chance of being represented in the National Assembly, a record! They will be at the leaders’ debates on September 15 and 22. And they will of course be present in the headquarters for election night.
This coverage will of course be enriched by fieldwork in the four corners of the province. Our photographers will be there. The tightest fights will be presented. And the major issues will be dissected.
In the category “it’s more complicated than before”, we can add the ideological reconfiguration of the political debate in Quebec. There too, there were roughly two issues to cover at the time: sovereignty and federalism.
I wouldn’t say it was “simple”, but let’s say it was “convenient”…
Because today, the issues are much more fragmented, the positions more diversified and the lines of demarcation more blurred.
Hence the importance of having seasoned journalists and lively columnists, capable of analyzing, dissecting and commenting on the news as it evolves.
Hence the importance, too, of ensuring a good diversity of opinion, with collaborators and editorial writers capable of presenting original points of view, which make people think and shake up convictions and certainties.
You will be able to read excellent political commentators, such as Michel C. Auger and Régis Labeaume. You will be able to push your reflection further thanks to the texts of the columnists and editorial writers of The Press, like Paul Journet and Stéphanie Grammond. And you will be able to measure your level of agreement with the collaborators of the Debates section Françoise David, Joanne Marcotte, Benoît Pelletier and Louise Beaudoin.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin
And finally, you can discover today a new collaborator, Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin. The former mayor of Gatineau will be particularly interested in the future of the regions, municipal issues and national and identity issues.
All to offer you a fruitful clash of ideas before D-Day.
The coverage will also be enriched by the daily publication during the week of an election newsletter, echoes from the buses, strong quotes of the day and fact-checking.
The Press will also be present on social networks, in addition to making available to you in the coming days a survey that is both scientific and fun, the Datagotchi Elections. This web application designed by researchers at Université Laval will attempt to predict your vote based on your lifestyle habits and your socio-demographic profile. A fun way to reflect on political behaviors and the wealth of digital data that voters leave behind when browsing the web.
We will also give readers a voice through appeals to all and the publication of open letters. Each week, a panel of undecided people will also take the floor to comment on the campaign and tell us on which side their support is evolving.
In short, The Press will be from all stakes, all angles and all buses.
* It’s fine to predict a probable victory for the CAQ, but how high? Which party will form the official opposition? What will happen to the big and older parties? And what future awaits the Conservative Party? The situation is unprecedented: five main parties could obtain more than 10% of the vote. Boring, the upcoming campaign, you say?