When I read that former Quebec solidaire Catherine Dorion was publishing a “hard-hitting” book about her years in politics, I suspected she would be talking about the media. But I had no idea to what extent she would spew her venom at the nasty media that she said harassed and intimidated her.
Brownish magma
In Les têtes brûlés she describes the media’s attitude towards her as “defoulatory lynchings”.
“Her story has become ingrained, encrusted and tainted: I was guilty of all the hatred that fell on me, the poor whore who needed attention.”
Catherine Dorion says she is a victim of the “shouting of columnists,” the “prejudices harbored by all these big-mouthed high priests,” the “harmful phrases,” and the “continuous stream of nonsense” emanating from journalists.
“Every media explosion was followed by a second artillery barrage on social networks.”
“It was only when I was drawn into this energy-sapping duel with the right-wing media sphere that I realized that my life was a prison.”
She says she is as much a victim of radio stations Quebecor and Quebec as Radio-Canada.
“I know I’m not the type of host, so I sit behind her microphone with a little imaginary bulletproof shirt on,” she says of Marie-Louise Arsenault. During a book fair, Arsenault dared to criticize the fact that the MP said too much. Dorion feels attacked by Arsenault… and by the audience at the book fair who applaud her!
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She also writes: “The collection of images and impressions spread sometimes by Radio-Canada, sometimes by Twitter, sometimes by radio, of brownish magma that spread through public opinion.” My role was fixed: I was a Agent provocateur, a Kodak conspirator who was responsible for all the attention I received.”
She goes on to write: “Some members of the ‘serious’ media seemed to be victims of elitist gastric reflux, expressing their bigoted opinions live on pictures of me marching through Parliament.”
“I was a resource for all these competing screenwriters to exploit to the point of exhaustion. I was a kind of Klondike that people rushed to.”
She attributes heightened feelings to the journalists: “Their hatred of me was intense and profound. She showed a kind of panic.”
“I was a beast at chewing and twisting in all directions to get the click, the juicy line of the day, an image to circulate.”
She even alludes to a form of media rape: “For weeks an army of radio and columnists and TV shows harassed me, claiming that their cameras actually aroused me, and even when I said no, I actually wanted to say yes.”
She describes the media scene as follows: “Aggressive interrogations, harassment and intimidation.”
Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Excessive
I have always believed that Québec Solidaire was entitled to excessive media exposure relative to its political weight.
As a politician, Catherine Dorion has benefited greatly from this enormous visibility, which has served her well.
The fact that she positions herself today as a fragile victim of people who hated her seems exaggerated to me. You know the saying: “What is exaggerated is insignificant.”
What amuses me today is how she goes on a media tour to sell her book. The media are no longer vultures?
