The link of the day comes from this morning’s Le Devoir, in which media reporter Paul Cauchon does an analysis of the Journal situation, the freelance columnist problem and the role of unions in media. It’s a bit opinionative (and, since it’s in Le Devoir, that opinion is left-of-centre), but worth a look.
Tout le monde won’t shut up
Patrick Lagacé and Bernard Landry were on Tout le monde en parle last night, and both answered questions about the Journal. Landry recently quit his column (with a lame excuse) and Lagacé had to answer for his boyfriend Richard Martineau, who just won’t quit. Rue Frontenac was watching and has the play-by-play. As does Richard Therrien.
On the other channel (with twice the audience), TVA had the premiere of Star Académie, and Journal workers were picketing outside giving out flyers to audience members. (The Clique du Plateau wonders if Rue Frontenac’s critique of the show would have been as critical if it had appeared in the Journal)
In other news
- Joseph Facal writes a comments-disabled post on his blog explaining his decision not to leave his Journal de Montréal column. He says he wants to be neutral, but also comments that globalization (read: outsourcing) is here and there’s nothing the union can do about it. He also says people who write about this conflict in the media and on blogs have biases and should be read skeptically.
- Marie-Julie Gagnon says there’s good news for freelancers at TVA Publications, Quebecor’s magazine publishing arm. They’re pulling back on those abusive freelance contracts and allowing people to contribute (for the time being at least) without signing them.
- Lagacé gives a thumbs-up to RueFrontenac.com and its reporting quality (again). He’d been a bit impatient before they first launched.
- A locked-out journalist writes about a call he got from the Journal offering him a subscription to the newspaper for $3 a week. His subscription was cancelled when he was locked out.
Meanwhile, a journalist at Transcontinental in Quebec City has gotten her job back after she was fired last year, coincidentally (or not) as she was organizing a union for their community weeklies in the area.
