Quebec journalism is more alive than ever! The statement may seem presumptuous in these times of crises and permanent doubts, but when you look twice, Quebec stands out in several respects. Firstly by its reactivity to the upheavals in the economic model of the press, by its creativity, by its resistance too, and above all by its singularity.
In what country, in what province, on what continent, have we seen an industry organize so quickly to save its daily newspapers from a capitalist world tired of losing money in the face of unfair competition from digital giants? The beautiful health of Duty and of The Press, the agility of Information Coops demonstrates our ability to reinvent ourselves in a bloodless and very competitive market. With The Montreal Journal And The Quebec Journalthey contribute to maintaining a rich and diverse media space for a relatively narrow population base.
Faced with the inevitable phenomenon of digital transformation, the response was collective and cooperative, carried out with the support of the authorities, of course, but above all with readers, loyal listeners, visibly very attached to their media.
Meanwhile, our neighbors to the South saw more than 130 newspapers disappear in 2022 alone. A study from Northwestern University in Chicago, published last November, reports an unprecedented phenomenon, thus precipitating more than one Americans in five are under-informed and creating media deserts which, obviously, weigh heavily on their democratic system.
Let’s admit that we are a long way from this situation in Quebec. The country’s community radio stations are celebrating their fifty years of history in the region, in an atmosphere of renewal that deserves to be highlighted. Local, even hyperlocal, information is experiencing great growth with titles that are appearing on the Web with brilliance and ingenuity. Let’s think about Extensive program, The Neighbors’ Journal, Octopus, Converse, Pivot, The Rover, not to mention the numerous bloggers and podcast hosts, who now abound on the Quebec Web. The big players are also in the game with original offerings like Rad, QUB radio, Les As de l’info and many others.
Paradigm shift
Of course, this uproar challenges preconceived ideas and forces us to review our way of doing journalism. It shakes many certainties, including the famous question of objectivity at all costs. Paradigms are changing, that’s obvious, which makes popularizer-citizen Farnell Morisset say that the traditional media must seriously question themselves, since with his simple smartphone and his brilliant adolescent look, he often manages to reach more people than many broadcasters with much greater resources than theirs…
Meanwhile, the public is asking for more. The response from the many “news curious”, as we called them at the Carleton-sur-Mer International Journalism Festival, is dazzling. The greedy desire to be informed, to understand, to share cannot be denied. Many of them will still make the trip to Gaspésie in mid-May to express their point of view and hear those who inform them daily in every possible and imaginable way. This is another reason to rejoice, despite a context that is sometimes anxiety-provoking and not always easy, it is true.
Journalism as we are collectively reinventing it in Quebec is a formidable response to the current information chaos and clearly proves the strength of the environment and citizens’ attachment to information. We often talk, rightly, about our distinct culture, but we can now also talk without embarrassment about Quebec’s journalistic exception.