An attack that is beneath the premier

Something profoundly disquieting took place in a parliamentary committee of the National Assembly Thursday.

Premier François Legault accused Montreal Gazette journalist Aaron Derfel of bias against the Coalition Avenir Québec government in his reporting about the coronavirus pandemic.

This is not the first time that Legault has attacked Derfel personally.

On previous occasions he has used the term “journalist” in quotation marks to refer to the longtime Gazette health reporter. He has also suggested that Derfel’s reporting is one of the reasons that anglophones have been more concerned than francophones about contracting COVID -19.

Why is that disquieting? Because scapegoating the media, either collectively or individually, is a classic political tactic to deflect attention away from information that reflects badly on governments or politicians. And scapegoating a single anglophone reporter at an English-language media outlet is deeply unsettling, particularly since francophone columnists have also been strongly critical of the government’s handling of a pandemic that has killed more than 5,700 Quebecers.

Friction between politicians and journalists is inevitable. Governments have the onerous responsibility of guiding their citizens through turbulent times.

Journalists are tasked with providing the public with information and context to help them understand what is happening around them.

That means asking difficult questions and sometimes reporting uncomfortable or unpopular information.

Quebec and Canada have a long history of acknowledging the value of that role. Section 2b of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates that “freedom of the press and other media of communication” are among Canadians’ fundamental freedoms.

Like other democratic societies, Canada recognizes that media are vital in providing citizens with accurate information and informed analysis to hold governments to account.

Quebec too has recognized the key role journalism plays in a healthy democracy. Last year, the CAQ government became the first one in North America to state that journalism is an essential service and to promise funding to help Quebec news organizations decimated by the international duopoly of Facebook and Google.

That is one of the reasons it is so disappointing to hear the premier’s comments about Derfel, the journalist who brought to light the horrendous conditions at the Résidence Herron in Dorval in early April. Since then, Derfel has continued to use his extensive contacts and decades of experience to report aggressively and fearlessly on COVID -19 in Quebec.

Is Aaron Derfel biased against the CAQ government? No. He has been a relentless reporter throughout his career, no matter which party is in power. Since March, he has been using his considerable skills to chronicle the progress of a grave pandemic that has killed thousands of our fellow citizens.

Are anglophones a fearful community that has been panicked by Derfel’s coverage and too much CNN (another mysterious claim that surfaced in the Thursday committee meeting)? No. But COVID-19 hit areas of Montreal with significant English-speaking populations early on in the pandemic. Many of us were among the first in Quebec to know friends and family who were affected by the coronavirus.

Premier Legault has shown himself to be a strong and decisive leader, one who has the trust of the majority of Quebecers. This kind of attack on a single journalist and Legault’s remarks about the anglophone community are far beneath what we expect of the premier of this province.

lchodan@postmedia.com Lucinda Chodan is Postmedia’s senior vice-president editorial and the editor-in-chief of the Montreal Gazette.