New mercenaries information
Marc-François Bernier (Ph. D.)
Associate Professor Journalism Program Coordinator University of Ottawa
text published in Le Devoir, Monday, January 22, 2007.
One lesson to be learned from confused debate between reasonable accommodations and racism has voluntarily turned Quebecor empire and his preferred pollster Leger Marketing, is that journalists and commentators licensed Quebecor behave more like mercenaries unable to criticize their errors.
must have read all the texts on various issues of this survey to see that at no time the number of journalists affiliated with Quebecor have thought really calling into question the very definition of the word "racism" that the sounder was used freely.
But there was much to be said on both definitions (we confuse discomfort with racism and other crops in particular) and the distribution of responses and the general turn questions. These shortcomings have undermined the validity of the exercise to the point that any interpretation became unfounded.
Making a scientific poll by following all rules of art should not cost more to the Quebecor empire. It would, however, created less wash and greatly reduces the commercial impact and media of the year because the results, probably more nuanced, were less easily exploited on screen and on paper.
Before the silence of the new mercenaries of information and opinion very truly the cause of their employer, the criticism from outside. We even saw some text in Le Journal de Montreal to address these criticisms. In sum, beyond the point of Quebecor hello! To paraphrase a theme already discussed by the Professional Federation of Quebec Journalists, the Media Are new churches and new pastors journalists?
This last episode is in addition to many others, including the famous water testing of public swimming pools in the summer of 2006. Already, journalists Quebecor had repressed all critical in order not to affect the impact media and commercial marketing strategies of these where we invent the scoop, failing to discover after an investigation over suspicions.
For the observer of media, group behavior is troubling. It should indeed worry when those who have chosen to do a job based primarily on freedom of expression, and we chant the gospel of the diversity of information, agree to follow blindly the watchwords their employer. How is it possible that dozens of people known for their outspokenness and saying jealous of their freedom to criticize and can sing in unison the same partition without question those who wield the baton?
We must also recognize that the motivations of competitors must also be questioned when they criticize the initiatives of Quebecor. Somehow, this makes the situation even more worrisome. Are we find ourselves in being a media system where each indoctrinate its employees and journalists to attack and weaken the competitor, at the same time imposing a clannish typical ideological groups?
Such a possibility is both inconsistent with freedom of expression for individuals and seriously threatens the integrity Professional Journalists. How to take seriously their demands for freedom of press and public's right to information when they themselves are somehow complicit in a form of censorship or wallow in systemic conflicts of interest?
For those who were concerned about possible over-concentration and convergence of information media, such episodes have not reassuring because they show the real power that media conglomerates have to influence public debate according to their vested interests. Presumably, the interest media needed to face the decline of the principle is to work for the public interest.
It is feared that the situation may cause an escalation of conflict between mercenary major newspaper groups in Quebec, where every reporter and commentator would be obliged to follow the "party line".
Increasingly, we need places of research and debate where you can critically analyze, rigorous and independent media practices that greatly influence the quality of our democratic life. It appears that media companies are reluctant to assume this task.
Site French for analysis, criticism and scientific research on journalistic practices. 
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