The media giant Quebecor will not appeal the judgment of the Superior Court of Quebec which ruled in February that the Press Council can make decisions concerning all the media in the province, including those of Quebecor.
This is what the Press Council said in a statement on its website Thursday afternoon.
“The public will therefore be able to continue to rely on the Press Council as a recourse to lodge a complaint if they believe that a Quebecor media outlet – or any other Quebec news outlet – has not respected the ethical standards of journalism such as than described in the Guide de déontologie du Conseil de presse du Québec, “says the Council.
Quebecor was not immediately available to comment on this announcement.
Recall that on February 17, the legal saga that opposed Quebecor and the Press Council for more than ten years ended in favor of the latter.
The decision rendered by Judge Bernard Jolin had rejected the claims of Quebecor, which sought in particular to escape the jurisdiction of the Press Council and claimed damages following two unfavorable decisions rendered against Le Journal de Montréal.
“For us, this is a great victory,” said Pierre-Paul Noreau, president of the Press Council, in an interview.
The Press Council is a private, non-profit organization created in 1973 with the aim of preserving freedom of the press and defending the public’s right to quality information. It investigates complaints and renders decisions based on a code of ethics, in relation to journalistic products across the province.
