Projet J has uploaded two videos shot at the conference of the Fédération professionnelle des journalistes du Québec held last month. The first video (above) asks the members present about the future of journalism, and has brief interviews with culture minister Christine St-Pierre and Dominique Payette, who will be doing a study into the status of media in Quebec.
The second video (below) focuses on the contested election for FPJQ president, eventually won by Le Devoir’s Brian Myles.
Perhaps I’m missing the big picture here, but the sight of journalists wining and dining at a fancy dinner while complaining about how poor they are doesn’t quite jive with me.
Neither does the B52s soundtrack.
Wining and dining is wrong when we meet once a year? Registration fees and the banquet comes up to a total of $250 per person, not including lodging and travel fees. None of which is reimbursed by our respective employers. Your colleagues at The Gazette make roughly the same salary we make in other major TV and print medias. So yeah, excuse us for partying on our own. Next year we’ll meet in your basement and share pizza and beer.
I’m not saying it’s wrong. I’m saying it maybe doesn’t send the best message. Unless you don’t want to send a message and don’t care what people think of your salaries and working conditions, in which case feast away.
For me, pizza and beer in the basement sounds more fun. I wouldn’t have to worry about travel costs or stumbling home drunk afterward. But it might get a bit cramped. Maybe in the back yard instead?
The poor thing is largely a lie, at least if you’re working at a big daily. I think you and I know of a certain LaPresse editor who walked into a salary barely south of 100K straight out of J-School. Bitch please. I realize this big daily/big salary thing is not true for the Gazette, but, well, I could ramble elsewhere about why this might be so.
My point being, most of them need a serious reality check. They have an awesome job for a totally reasonable salary. If they wanted beaucoup de bucks they should have gone into finance.
Poor use of the B-52’s.