La Presse (Canada)

Infobox Newspaper
name =


type = Daily newspaper
format = Broadsheet
foundation = 1884
owners = Power Corporation of Canada
political = Quebec federalism
headquarters = 7 rue St-Jacques,
Montreal, Quebec
editor = Philippe Cantin
website = [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/section/CPPRESSE www.cyberpresse.ca/section/CPPRESSE]
ISSN = 0317-9249

"La Presse", founded in 1884, is a large-circulation French-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is owned today by Groupe Gesca, a subsidiary of Power Corporation of Canada.

Description

La Presse is a broadsheet newspaper, aimed at a middle-class readership. Its main competitor is the tabloid Le Journal de Montréal, which aims at more popular audience. La Presse comprises several sections, dealing individually with arts, sports, and other thematic sections.

History

The paper was founded on October 20 1884 by William-Edmond Blumhart. Trefflé Berthiaume took over in 1889. The fledgling newspaper's circulation would soon pass that of its main competitor of the time, La Patrie.

In April of 1901, the paper organised a cruise to Quebec City (Croisière de La Presse). It also organised a charity to give Christmas gifts to poor children ("L'Oeuvre des étrennes aux enfants pauvres").

A front-page illustration on the December 3, 1904 issue celebrated the 50th anniversary of the proclamation of the dogma of Immaculate Conception. The practice of the time was to have an illustration on the front page, rather than a photograph.

The style and presentation of the newspaper have changed immensely during the course of the 20th century. It underwent a complete graphic remodeling in 1986, and again in 2003.

Since 1984, "La Presse" has every year honoured a "Person of the Year." In the past, it has honoured Julie Payette, Daniel Langlois and Gaétan Boucher. That same year, it published a commemorative book in order to celebrate its 100th anniversary. A similar book was published by "Éditions La Presse" to recap the major events of the 20th century.

In 2001, with the arrival of new editor Guy Crevier, the newspaper began a radical remodeling. The graphic design was modernized, new sections were created, international coverage was greatly increased, and many new young, up-and-coming journalists were hired. These changes had a significant positive impact on quality and circulation, especially amongst young adult readers.

Editorial line

The editorial board of La Presse has been consistently supportive of federalism over the past 25 years (though individual columnists may sometimes express less sympathy). The newspaper's editorials endorsed the federalist option in both the 1980 Quebec referendum and the 1995 Quebec referendum which were held on the National Question.

Otherwise, the editorial bent is somewhat leftist and liberal, especially on social issues, as is usual in Quebec. It supported same-sex marriage legislation in Canada and the student strike and was opposed to the War in Iraq. It leans somewhat more towards right-of-centre on fiscal issues. In January of 2006, the paper endorsed the Conservative Party in the 2006 election. This was primarily out of a reasoning that the Canadian government is in need of a necessary change after more than 12 years of Liberal rule.

André Pratte is currently the editor-in-chief. Regular columnists include Vincent Marissal, Alain Dubuc, Pierre Foglia, and Lysianne Gagnon. Claude Picher and Sophie Cousineau write regular columns on economic issues.

ee also

*List of Quebec media

;Montreal newspapers
* The Gazette
* La Presse
* Le Journal de Montréal
* Montreal Daily News
* The Montreal Star

External links

* [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/ Official website] fr icon