09.30.2010 01:36 PM

“Sincere regret”: Maclean’s parent company apologizes for Quebec smear

Rogers Publishing comments on the recent issue of Maclean’s Magazine

MONTREAL, Sept. 30 /CNW/ – Rogers Publishing today commented on the most recent issue of Maclean’s Magazine. “The cover of this issue and the feature story clearly offended some readers, and this has been the subject of much debate,” said Brian Segal, President, Rogers Publishing. “As a company we own a broad range of media properties across the country and editorial independence is an important cornerstone of our management philosophy. While challenging at times, this means we do not interfere with the editorial direction or content of our media properties in any way.”

“On behalf of the company, we sincerely regret any offence that the cover may have caused. We value all of our customers and their perspective. Quebec is an important market for the company and we look forward to participating in the dynamic growth of the province and its citizens.”

– 30 –

Now, will the magazine and its writers finally admit that they made a mistake, and apologize, too? (En francais, ici.)

20 Comments

  1. Will M. says:

    Too little, too late methinks

    “Quebec is an important market for the company….”, yea, real heartfelt apology there.

    Je me souviens!

    • Jean says:

      I, too, remember another caricature (cartoon actually) that 5 years ago to the day caused another segment of society to have a collective “frisson”. Jyllands-Posten revisited you say?

  2. V. Malaise says:

    Somebody else knuckles under to a lawyer’s letter. Jeez, this is sooooo American.

    Something Joe/Joan Q. Public don’t realize is that any lawyer will write a letter if paid to do so. What they don’t also realize is that it’s usually just smoke and mirrors, i.e., a stupid threat designed to scare a lay person.

    I have experienced this twice in my business life and both evaporated with being assertive.

  3. Namesake says:

    Be interesting to watch “At Issue” tonight where Peter will undoubtedly ask A.C. to comment on how he’s become the story… and maybe why Mr. Free Market’s accepting that large subsidy to defray their mailing costs.

  4. conoisseur says:

    empty words…what really peeves me is the way Macleans has smeared Bonhomme by using him on the cover, I`ve been wearing my ceinture fl

  5. Derek Pearce says:

    Using Bonhomme was boneheaded, but the article itself takes issue with politicians, not the people of Quebec. This is hypersensitive much ado about nothing.

    • Steve T says:

      Agree with you Derek. This is so typical of our society today. It’s OK to criticize and slander the usual villains (corporations; white men; etc), who are used to it by now, but God forbid anyone criticizes or even critically analyzes one of our sacred cows. If this had been another province – say, Alberta (the corporate white male of the provinces) – this would have been seen as “edgy” and “probing” journalism. But Quebec – well, better just leave them alone. Lord knows nothing bad could ever happen there.

      I’d like to know how many of the MPs who “unanimously” voted for the motion yesterday had actually even read the Macleans article.

      • Namesake says:

        well, probably, since it was mostly just pictures and there was so little of substance there _to_ read.

        I feel your pain about those poor down-trodden, much-maligned rich white folk, tho’…

        Just Teasing!

        Careful, these 2 pieces might give you a coronary:

        White America Has Lost Its Mind: The white brain, beset with worries, finally goes haywire in spectacular fashion:

        http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-09-29/news/white-america-has-lost-its-mind/

        Tea & Crackers: How corporate interests and Republican insiders built the Tea Party monster:

        http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/210904#

        • Steve T says:

          So your reply to me is basically that some groups deserve to have unsupported and specious venom spewed at them, while others should be immune from any analysis whatsoever?

          Ah, we will slowly move towards a world where everything is just so darn politically correct, we won’t even have to think for ourselves anymore. Breathe deeply, and let it all go nice and foggy….

          • Namesake says:

            pretty, um, liberal interpretation of my reply, which, altho’ tacitly disagreeing w. the idea that the skimpy Maclean’s articles had come anywhere near proving their thesis (the most?), was actually just giving you more grist for your mill, more than anything else (albeit in a cheeky way).

            But considering that it’s the rich, white-controlled corporate interests that own most of the media that’s spewing most of the “specious venom” at all the other races in Canada & the USA…. I have, like, zero sympathy for your wounded feelings, here. As many have pointed out, the issue was not that QC is immune from criticism, it’s that inflammatory assertions about it either have to be backed up by more than anecdotes, or as Chantal Hebert ptd, they should have just backed off the thesis a bit to pose it as a question. Poof, no more controversy: it’s an op/ed rather than a libellous assertion. And don’t violate trademarks or damage unrelated corporate reputations while trying to boost your own sales; if they did that cover with Mickey Mouse or Mickey D. (er, Ronald), they’d get their asses sued off, and indeed, still might.

            Tho’, personally, I’d rather it be the Sun that got censured by the HoC for some of the crap it’s been printing these past few months about the Tamils, e.g.

  6. james Smith says:

    Yousuf Karsh
    W.O. Mitchell
    Scott Young
    Trent Frayne
    Pierre Burton
    Harold Town
    Peter Gzowski
    Peter C. Newman
    Robert Fulford
    Doug Write
    June Callwood
    Trent Frayne
    Allan Fotheringham

    This off the top of my noggin. They & their Ghosts must be Oh so proud of whatever this thing has become. Guess there is a reason I never read this swill from dullsville anymore. My late Pop HATED working for MH & that was in the so called good old days wonder what he would think of this present batch of gorbies.

  7. Sean says:

    journalism = sales = profits

  8. V. Malaise says:

    “Alberta (the corporate white male of the provinces)”

    I cannot let this scurrilous insult pass. 🙂

    Riding the LRT home to the suburban hell of the NW from work today I was virtually the only WASP male on board. I had a great bowl of Pho for lunch in Chinatown at a Vietnamese cafe (pronounced fuh by the way). Most of the other customers were white males from the nearby Federal building (an architectural horror by anyone’s sensibilities.).

    Compared to modern, post-industrial, progressive Alberta the “province of Toronto” is a backward, dirty pothole-infested urban backwater. So there!

  9. Steve T says:

    Only if those stories attack the right people! C’mon, don’t you know anything?

  10. V. Malaise says:

    What a bunch of pathetic wimps! They must be Carlton newsie grads. What ever became of journalist integrity?

    As someone who has done business in Montreal I can affirm that to get anything done with a civil servant requires some “grease,” especially if you’re from Alberta.” I won’t use the Quebecois term because this is a family site.

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