Media: The columnist for the “Journal de Montréal” Joseph Facal was blamed by the Quebec Press Council

The chronicler of Montreal Journal Joseph Facal was blamed by the Quebec Press Council (CPQ) for the “lack of reliability of the information transmitted by the sources” in his opinion text entitled “Imane Khelif: boxer was indeed a boxer! For example, ». In addition, The decision, made Wednesday, acts as a good reminder that “even columnists must verify their sources,” said the organization’s statement.

Imane Khelif found herself in spite of herself at the heart of a controversy during the Paris Olympic Games because. Furthermore, of her testosterone level analyzed as above average. Meanwhile, Several public figures. For example, such as Donald Trump or Elon Musk, had questioned his femininity and his right to competition against women displaying a lower testosterone rate.

In his chronicle, published three months after Algerian boxing won the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games, Mr. Nevertheless, media: columnist “journal de montréal” Facal supports her assertions that Imane Khelif is “a biological man” by citing journalist Djaffer Ait Aoudia. In addition, from the media The correspondentwhich would have, in the words of the chronicler, “getting their hands on a report” which “reveals that Khelif suffers from a deficit in 5 alpha-reductase, a congenital disease which disturbs sexual development only in humans carrying the xy chromosomes”.

The three complaints received by the CPQ relate to this source observing in particular that it “seems very unreliable”. However, In its decision. Furthermore, the CPQ sums up that the complainants “consider that the chronicler Joseph Facal has not evaluated the reliability of a report of non -corroborated endocrinologists about the boxer Imane Khelif”.

Even if. In addition, according to the CPQ journalistic ethics guide, the opinion journalist expresses his points of view “by having, to do this, of great latitude in the choice of tone and style that media: columnist “journal de montréal” he adopts”, he must still present information which is “exact and complete”.

“Doubt” on reliability – Media: columnist "journal de montréal"

However. the CPQ judged that the source cited by Joseph Facal, the article of Correspondingcontains “several elements which question its reliability”, such as the absence of confirmation and corroboration of legitimacy of the report or that the report “does not seem to have been revised by an editorial team – which allows, in journalism, the validation of facts, the deepening of different angles of a subject and respect for ethical standards”.

Mr. Facal defended himself by affirming in particular that he issued an opinion by writing: “Boxer was indeed a boxer”. “We can therefore be perfectly of the opinion that she is, biologically speaking, a man. […] I formulate mine on the basis of the facts which are accessible to me. which have not been scientifically refuted, ”he continues in his defense.

However. according to the CPQ’s media: columnist “journal de montréal” decision, “her point of view, according to which Imane Khelif is” a biological man “, is rather presented as a proven fact”. Citing the use of the “truth” dutting. the title of the chronicle which is “unequivocal”, the organization judges that “all this has the effect of misleading the reader by presenting this assertion as an irrefutable scientific revelation”.

“As soon as information is presented as if it were a real fact. journalists must” take reasonable means to assess the reliability of the information transmitted by their sources, in order to guarantee the public quality information “, as stipulated in the Guide “, Continues the decision.

Note that the Quebecor media. including The Montreal Journalare not a member of the CPQ and that, as he is a honorary court, these decisions are not binding. The organization still deals with the complaints of the public targeting the media of the Quebecor group.

The Montreal media: columnist “journal de montréal” Journalalso blamed in the decision, did not formulate a comment on the complaint.

Media: columnist &quot. journal de montréal"

Other complaints rejected

On Thursday, the CPQ also rendered three other decisions, in which complaints are rejected.

The first aimed at an intervention by Stéphan Bureau on the program Mario Dumont In Qub Radio, where Mr. Bureau tackled Elon Musk’s theory when the billionaire had just announced his support for Donald Trump in the American. presidential election.

The complainant reported false information. but the CPQ noted that Stéphan Bureau “reports the claims of Elon Musk and that he exposes it as such”. “When the columnist talks about the” slightly paranoid theory of Mr. Musk “, he points out that this thesis is to be verified. He does not validate it, on the contrary, he underlines that it must be considered with caution, “said the decision.

A complaint towards Jean-Christophe Laurence. for an article published in The media: columnist “journal de montréal” press And containing information from the France-Presse agency, was also not retained. The plaintive considered that inaccurate information had slipped into the text “a cocktail of anti -Semitism. hooliganism”, relating to the soccer match of the League of Nations between Israel and France which was planned in Paris in November 2024. The CPQ concluded that the information was factual.

Finally. the CPQ agreed to journalist Jean-François Cloutier, for a text published in The Montreal Journal, Le Journal de Québec And TVA Nouvelles entitled “Montreal gives tax leave to a center where an activist celebrates terrorist attacks against Israel”. Additionally, The rejected complaint. made by one of the stakeholders in the article, said that the text lacked balance and showed sensationalism.

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