The Quebec Press Council retained three of the 11 complaints filed against La Presse and radio station 98.5 FM for a joint investigation that revisited the Julien Lacroix affair in the wake of the #metoo movement. La Presse will appeal the decision to the Press Council's Appeals Commission.
Posted at 2:06 p.m.
“We remain convinced that La Presse's reporting was indisputably in the public interest, that it demonstrated exemplary accuracy and that its journalistic approach was consistent with the rules of the art.” “It is an example of the kind “courageous journalism that provokes deep social reflection and lively debate, which is at the core of La Presse’s mission,” said François Cardinal, Vice President of Information and Deputy Editor of La Presse.
“In this sense, we are pleased that the Press Council has rejected the majority of the eleven complaints submitted and we would like to express our strong rejection of the three complaints retained,” he added.
The La Presse report entitled “The Julien Lacroix Affair, Two Years Later – Scars and Regrets” and the four-part 98.5 FM podcast “The Julien Lacroix Affair, Two Years Later” were published on November 16, 2022 .
The article and podcast presented the statements of some of the women who denounced the actions of comedian Julien Lacroix in an article published in the daily newspaper Le Devoir in 2020. One of the two complainants is the journalist Ameli Pineda, who conducted this survey.
“Unfounded”
In a decision published on Thursday, the Press Council upheld a complaint of “incomplete information” for failing to explain all the reasons why Le Devoir refused to give an interview to journalists Isabelle Hachey and Marie-Ève Tremblay.
The Press Council also upheld a complaint for “lack of balance” because it “failed to present a fair weighting of Le Devoir's perspective on the matter.” »
The Press Council blamed the journalists Isabelle Hachey and Marie-Ève Tremblay as well as La Presse and 98.5 FM for this.
The Press Council also upheld a complaint alleging “an appearance of a conflict of interest” against La Presse, 98.5 FM and journalist Marie-Ève Tremblay. For several years, the latter attributed “likes” on social networks to status updates from Julien Lacroix's partner Maude Sabbagh, which focused on her private life.
“We believe that these complaints are unfounded and that this decision sets dangerous precedents that will undermine the ability of all journalists in Quebec to conduct and publish investigations on issues of public interest – not just La Presse,” emphasized François Cardinal .
“We therefore intend to appeal this decision to the Press Council Appeals Committee. We regret that the Press Council decided to interfere in La Presse's editorial decisions by allowing itself to redefine the perspective of the report in accordance with the vision of the complainants. »
Five additional complaints of incomplete information, two complaints of bias and one complaint of inaccurate information were rejected.