Marois picks up two journalists
The PQ has picked up two high-profile journalists to run for them: Pierre Duchesne who used to be Radio-Canada’s National Assembly specialist, running in Borduas (currently held by Pierre Curzi, who won’t be running again) and Jean-François Lisée – who, as they say, needs no introduction – who’s is said to be planning to run in Rosemont.
Jack 07:47 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Does this piss anyone else off, especially the case of Duchesne .Here’s a guy whose responsibility is to inform me on the goings on in Quebec City, to give an account from multiple political perspectives, to shake the underbrush and go into the shadows and find some “truth”. When everybody in Quebec City knows he is in the bag for the PQ. I sadly was watching Dumont (V) ( zeitgeist research) and he described how he often questioned how nobody at Radio Can would think it odd having its National Assembly Press chief so obviously partisan.Three months ago ,when Duschene was still ” reporting” a former Bloc MP was quoted as saying that Bourduas was reserved for a Radio Can journalist, alarm bells anyone.This follows the mascarade of having Bernard Drainville ( the former National Assembly Bureau chief) ” interviewing” Andre Boisclair when he was in full negotiations for a safe riding to be parachuted in. This speaks directly to the credibility of R.C. as a news organization.God almighty we are so poorly served by TVA that we have to rely on RC for some level of credibility.I am hurt I even have a Radio Canada T shirt… By the way Christine St.Pierre gets no pass either.
Kate 08:09 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Jack, you’re not the only one with ethical concerns about Duchesne’s objectivity. Lots of scuttle about it. He’s by a long way not the first journo to move into politics – but in his case, the overlap between his professional duties and his political move is a bit tight.
Anto 08:52 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Jack, I don’t understand how you can criticize Duchesne for being partisan and yet have no problem listening to Dumont’s opinion…
Every journalist has political opinions, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have ethics and can’t do his job properly. I’ve been in situations where I worked at a company while negociating with a competitor for a new job, and that didn’t mean I was sabotaging my work to give an advantage to my new employers.
Michel 08:56 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Peter Kent, Mike Duffy, etc. Reporters for Radio-Canada. A bunch of others. It happens. It sucks, but it happens.
Jack 09:13 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Thanks Anto. Dumont is a failed politician with an opinion show, he is not a journalist and never claimed to be, he does a survey of the news nightly with notables like Gilles Proulx and Eric Duhaime, yesterday’s top story in the world, the whole wide world according to Dumont was FIFA’s decision to let woman play soccer wearing scarves. I watch Dumont because he tells me something about the society I live in. I relied on Duchesne to tell me what’s going on in Quebec City, not Pauline Marois.When a journalist is “reporting” he should not be negotiating a sinecure with the party he is covering.In your eyes isn’t this the most base conflict of interests, how can you stretch journalism’s ethics to interviewing a party leader when you are negotiating a safe riding a la Drainville. Has it come to this, is this the best political journalists can do, can they really turn this ethical mudslide into political and personal capital while we say thats just the way it is.
Jack 09:16 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
@ Anto if you were in my employ, negotiating a contract with a competitor while negotiating with my competitor for a job.I would fire you on the spot.
Anto 09:24 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
@Jack: Then I guess it’s a good thing I wasn’t, and Duchesne wasn’t either.
I agree with you about this. Duchesne claims it wasn’t the case, and that he didn’t start talking to the PQ until he had resigned from SRC.
Jack 09:44 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
@ Thanks Anto “Selon les informations obtenues par La Presse, la direction du PQ a prévenu il y a trois mois l’ex-députée bloquiste Carole Lavallée, pressentie dans Borduas, que la circonscription était réservée «à un candidat-vedette de Radio-Canada». Tout récemment encore, la direction du PQ a répété au président de l’association, François Gauthier, que cette circonscription de choix allait être «retenue pour un candidat d’envergure nationale».”
Duchesne quit on June 6th ,2012 for family reasons.
Anto 09:55 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
“L’ex-journaliste de Radio-Canada a rencontré la chef péquiste, Pauline Marois, hier en matinée, selon ce qu’ont confirmé des sources sûres. À la télévision plus tôt cette semaine, Mme Marois avait affirmé ne pas avoir parlé à M.Duchesne d’une éventuelle candidature. Il s’agissait donc hier d’un « premier contact », a-t-on certifié. Selon cette version des faits, les pourparlers entre M.Duchesne et le PQ auraient donc commencé « il y a une semaine et demie, deux semaines ». Bref, après le départ de ce dernier de Radio-Canada et non en janvier, comme d’autres sources l’ont indiqué mardi.”
I guess we’ll have to wait and see who’s right.
Kevin 10:58 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
Contrast with Anne Lagacé-Dowson who quit to run in federal politics and then could not get hired again by the CBC.
david m 14:43 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
i wonder if this will save rosement for the pq in the face of a feisty solidairiste.
in other news, i never thought it would happen that i could be this unenthusiastic about voting. like in every election, there’s at least some lesser of two evils. but aside from the fact of voting for amir (which is an obvious choice), the pq vs plq vs caq competition makes me feel really bored and depressed. i like amir, but i wish qs had a less flamboyantly radical leader so that the party could at least get into the debates.
Kate 15:51 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
There just isn’t a party that represents my concerns, i.e. social justice concerns, lefty, but not wasting time, effort and funds on the nationalist project. I think I’ll vote PQ to take a meaningful vote away from the Liberals and flout the idea that all anglos are slavish Liberal voters no matter what the party does.
(I never thought I would vote PQ. Thanks, M. Charest.)
Jack 21:03 on 2012/07/06 Permalink
@ Anto Pauline never spoke to him……………..