- won four distinctions on Saturday during the Judith-Jasmin awards ceremony during a ceremony marked by a tribute to journalist Alain Saulnier. For their part, Noovo Info, The Right, The Presse et The Montreal Journal all won two prizes.
The Judith-Jasmin awards – which highlight journalistic excellence in Quebec – were presented Saturday evening during the annual congress of the Professional Federation of Journalists of Quebec (FPJQ), in Trois-Rivières.
The Antoine-Desilets prizes, which reward the best press photographs of the year, were also awarded during this ceremony hosted by Alain Gravel, journalist and former president of the FPJQ.The Presse established itself by winning Antoine-Desilets prizes in five categories out of seven, in addition to winning the Grand Prix.
Four Judith-Jasmin prizes awarded to -
- journalist Thomas Gerbet and director André Perron distinguished themselves in the category Great report for their article Canada’s capital overrun by drugswhich exposed the consequences of overdoses in Ottawa. This duo is also at the origin of a digital story on this subject.
In category Arts et culturejournalists Laurier Rajotte and Catherine Richer received the Judith-Jasmin prize for THE headphonesa special broadcast on World Radio Day.
Open in full screen mode
Catherine Richer and Laurier Rajotte stood out in the Arts and Culture category.
Photo: Emmalie Ruet
Gilbert Bégin dominated the category Science and environment pour The musk ox conquers Nunavik. A complete broadcast of The green week was dedicated to this report on February 3. A digital story was also produced for the web.
Finally, journalists Jean-Marc Belzile, from ICI Abitibi-Témiscamingue, and Noémie Mercier, from Noovo Info, arrived out of equality in the category Politics and social issues.
The first was rewarded for his article Mayors feel obliged to contribute to the CAQ to meet a ministerand the second, for his report Ousted : the elders strike back (New window).
Open in full screen mode
The award in the Politics and social issues category was awarded to journalists Jean-Marc Belzile and Noémie Mercier.
Photo: Emmalie Ruet
A special mention was also given in this category to - journalist and host Alec Castonguay for his report When rich patrons confront Minister Dubé.
For - news director Luce Julien, these awards stand out for their stories
and their different formats that well represent the diversity of content produced
by the public broadcaster.
She also congratulated all the nominees and winners of the Judith-Jasmin awards. Despite the financial difficulties of our media, journalism in Quebec is doing well. And that’s good for the profession, but it’s especially important for citizens who have access to very high quality information of public interest.
This evening we celebrated the quality of investigative journalism in Quebec.
The other winners
The Montreal Journal emerges winner in the category Investigation pour All-you-can-eat buffet with Montrealers’ taxes at the Montreal Public Consultation Office (New window), a report signed by Dominique Cambron-Goulet and Annabelle Blais.
This survey also received the Grand Prix of the year, which rewards the best work, all categories combined.
Open in full screen mode
Annabelle Blais and Dominique Cambron-Goulet won the Grand Prix of the year, as well as the prize in the Investigation category.
Photo: Emmalie Ruet
This report on the questionable expenses of the Office de consultation publique de Montréal (OCPM) raised questions about the management and financing of this municipal organization. Following this investigation, Ensemble Montréal demanded the departure of Dominique Ollivier – president of theOCPM when the expenses mentioned in this article were made – from the executive committee of the City of Montreal, which happened the following week. Her successor, Isabelle Beaulieu, was dismissed from her position, while the organization was placed under supervision.
Furthermore, Noovo Info stood out in the category News items and criminal cases with the report Don’t rest in peace (New window) journalists Maxime Landry and Marie-Christine Bergeron.
The Press also received two awards. Journalist Isabelle Dubé was rewarded in the category Business and economy thanks to his report False offers to raise prices (New window).
Open in full screen mode
Journalist Isabelle Dubé won top honors in the Business and Economy category.
Photo: Isabelle Dubé
In category Opinion, it was the columnist Patrick Lagacé who received the honors with his text The brutal and lonely death of Manuela Valente (New window).
What’s more, the price in the category Local and regional was given to journalist Justine Mercier, from the newspaper The Right, for his report Before the medical error, the « organizational mistreatment » (New window).
The same journalist secured a double by also winning honors in the category Sports with his article “ I can’t breathe » : the scene reproduced in a hockey locker room to humiliate a black player (New window).
Winners in each of the 10 categories win a $500 prize, while Grand Prize winners receive $2,000.
In total, this year, the FPJQ received 390 submissions from 196 journalists.
Reports must have been published or broadcast between January 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024.
- had received a total of seven nominations for this Judith-Jasmin awards ceremony.
Tribute to Alain Saulnier
The FPJQ also handed over the Judith-Jasmin Tribute Prize to Alain Saulnier, general director of information at - from 2006 to 2012. He joined the public broadcaster in 1984 and held various positions within the radio and television departments.
Open in full screen mode
Journalist Alain Saulnier received the Judith-Jasmin Hommage prize on Saturday evening.
Photo: Lysbertte Cerné
Under his leadership, the information department placed particular emphasis on investigative journalism, which notably made it possible to uncover scandals in the construction industry in Quebec.
After his departure from -, Alain Saulnier taught on the DESS in journalism atUdeM until December 2022. He is now an honorary professor in the Department of Communication.
Known for his frequent media interventions as a journalism expert, Alain Saulnier has also published the works Digital Barbarians. Resisting the GAFAM invasion (2022) et Stand up to the web giants (2024) chez Ecosociété.
Luce Julien, in an interview after the ceremony, greeted a very great journalist
and a excellent news director of -
. He continues his battle for freedom of the press, for freedom of expression
she stressed.
Bill Haughland in the spotlight
The Career prize was given to Bill Haughland, of CTV Montreal. This is the first distinction awarded by the FPJQ to an English-speaking journalist.
Originally from Montreal, Bill Haughland joined CFCF radio in 1961, then became a CFCF television journalist in 1965.
Head of anchor from 1977, he notably hosted the television news Pulsepresented at 6 p.m., before retiring in 2006. His long career was notably marked by the coverage of the October crisis in 1970 and Expo 67.
Bill Haughland was unable to attend the FPJQin Trois-Rivières, to accept his prize, but he thanked the jury in a message in English.
Several photographers from The Presse rewarded
The Press dominated in the Antoine-Desilets awards on Saturday evening by winning honors in the categories Social issues (Olivier Jean, Housing crisis (New window)), News (Patrick Sansfaçon, Expelled (New window)), Photo reportage (Martin Tremblay, The Zone), (New window) Portraits (François Roy, Slush heart) (New window) et Daily life (Martin Tremblay, Fire Monster). (New window)
In category Arts et culture, the photographer ofInfo Sunday Andréanne Lebel was rewarded thanks to her photo Louis-Jean Cormier at Ile aux Lièvres. (New window)
Finally, in the category Sports, Surf the wave (New window) by Patrick Woodbury, photographer for The Rightwon the honors.
The Antoine-Desilets grand prize, which rewards the best shot in all categories, was awarded to Olivier Jean, of The Pressfor his photo Housing crisiswhich showed a homeless person in a makeshift shelter in Gatineau.
Two images captured by - photographer Ivanoh Demers were nominated for the Antoine-Desilets awards : The immigration stressin the category Social issues, et Homelessness in indifferencein the category Daily life.
Open in full screen mode
The photo “Homelessness in Indifference”, by - photographer Ivanoh Demers, shows a homeless person sleeping on the outskirts of Crémazie Boulevard in Montreal.
Photo : - / Ivanoh Demers
The sum of $250 is awarded to the winners in each of the seven categories, while the Grand Prize is accompanied by a sum of $1000.
This year, 40 photographers applied for the seven categories of the Antoine-Desilets awards. The photos must have been published between 1is January 2023 and March 31, 2024.