‘A Huge Culture Change’
Newsrooms at La Presse and The Montreal Gazette
Reflect on the Shift to Digital-First
Lisa Lynch
Concordia University
Initial Observations (2009)
• In Montreal, Francophone journalists were more
often publicly critical of online news
• Some Franco Montreal papers – like Le Devoir
– had no interest in moving online at all; barebones site, no archiving, etc.
• Was this a case of ‘digital divide?’
Context
• Anglo and Franco papers both have long
histories in the city
• Anglo and Franco workers represented by
different communications unions; Francophone
unions traditionally stronger
• Anglo papers compete with US papers and
‘national’ Canadian papers
Questions
• Do online staff at The Gazette and La Presse
differ in how they describe the benefits and
disadvantages of online news?
• Will these differences change over time as both
outlets refine their approach to online news?
La Presse
• Founded in 1884; now the flagship paper
of the Gesca Group
• Closure crisis in 2009; shift to Ipad-first in 2013
• La Presse+ is a gamble to ensure the paper’s
survival, relying on a market that is not mature
Interviews in 2010
“We arrived in a paper world where people really
didn't know what the web was….”
But a successful integration
within months, due to
efforts of editors and
careful logistical planning.
Re-envisioning La Presse as a tablet-first product…
Interviews in 2013
“There's a new generation in advertising
agencies [deciding] where they put their ads, and
it's definitely not in the print version. That's
exactly why we moved to
the tablet.”
Interviews in 2013
“In 2010, I worked for the dailies. If there was a
fire, or anything, I made an article for the
website, and I'd have to make an article for the
next day's paper… Now, I have a lot of time, I
drink coffee and brainstorm.”
Interviews in 2013
“They are all young, hipsters. People who do 5 a
7 (cocktail hours). The new geek IPad,
technology generation ... (who) think they're
cooler than everyone else.”
The Montreal Gazette
• Founded in 1778
• Heyday in 1960s; still claims profitability but
connected to financially strapped chain
• Since the 1960s has shifted from Southam to FP to
Hollinger to Canwest to Postmedia
Interviews in 2010
“We rush to get things up quickly and then
there are mistakes and inaccuracies. I do find that
the standards slip.”
A focus on the problems rather than successes
Interviews in 2010
“I don't feel it's clear where things are right now
or where they're going; it still feels like we're in
an in-between stage. It's (also) not clear exactly
what this revolution is supposed to be
about…seems to me more or less similar to
before.”
A centralized system for creating a chain-wide look….
Interviews in 2013
“I feel like if we had a better system, that
could actually free us up to do more…if
only the architecture were not so clunky.”
Interviews in 2013
“We’re still mostly a print paper. We are
doing more things online but the most
dramatic things that have happened here
has been the reduction in staff across the
board”
Results
• At La Presse, transition didn’t create an
unsustainable workload
• Staff believed management had made an
investment in the future of La Presse as an
institution.
• At The Gazette, push towards online resulted in
overwork.
• Digital decisions reflected the priorities of the
chain and not The Gazette.
Limitations
• La Presse going through unique period
of transition
• Other Francophone papers (Quebecor
vs Le Devoir) not studied
• Ipad team not interviewed
Conclusion
Rather than confirming
initial ideas of a “digital
divide,” interviews
demonstrated the
complex interplay
between workplace
conditions and attitudes
towards online work.
Longer version: lisa.lynch@concordia.ca