Thank you for coming at our rescue, we the bloggers. For myself, being a Quebecer and a French-Canadian, I was certainly disappointed by the Liberal government’s decision in Quebec to create a special status for so-called « professional » journalists. Evidently, we all have understood here that it has been specifically crafted to differenciate these so-called « real » journalists from the « fake » or « bogus » ones, those who waste their time and energy publishing on the Internet, yes, that platform that is only good to host the trash and political crap of a society, they probably think. I was disappointed and it kind of broke my heart to see that, again, my people can’t understand the real issues, and so our problems will become more and more difficult to solve in the future as a result.
Concerning the question of « real » journalism, let me tell you how I see the situation in Quebec. It might not be any better in the rest of Canada and in the U.S. but for the sake of the argument, I will stick with what I know best. « Journalists » here are like seagulls circling around McDonald’s restaurants in search for a lost and unattended french (or english) fry that they could catch. They assemble around the Big Ones of the Province, such as the coach of the Montreal Canadiens, the Premier, the Mayor of Montreal and the like, to see if by any chance some crumbles could fall from off their tables. So, whenever one of these big shots has some bad joke, unsignificant announcement to make, stupid commentary about the weather or would like to give some tips about his latest recipe of cheese macaroni, they all jump as a block to recuperate that, as if it was some kind of precious metal. Then, they parrot it out through their several platforms transforming the media, which is supposed to be a place where humans are trying to become more aware and more conscious about the world in which they live, into an entertainment debilitating machine.
It is the quality of the work that makes the journalist, not the other way around. I don’t seek the title of journalist. I don’t have time for this. I am too busy trying to put out good and sound information online… Giving the title of « professional » journalist to somebody won’t transform him/her into a reference for the industry. Again, it is the quality of the work that makes the journalist and it is up to the public to judge if somebody is worthy of that title. So, I will leave the distinguished « professional » journalists of Quebec continue their search for the latest crumble or french fry to catch up. Knowing that McDonald’s now have salad is certainly reassuring. At least our seagulls will eat healthy…and be able to watch their diet. Here is the article by Selley that talks about that, and a second one written by the editorial board of the National Post on the same subject.