Feature Article April Fools Issue April 3, 2002
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Katimavik maneuvering to buy The Newsby Dunc AzetteThis reporter has recently learned that a group of Katimavikers is planning a takeover of The Frontenac News. They plan to start a bilingual weekly, called The National Young Offender, which would try to counteract much of the negative press that youth get in other national publications. The paper would retain much of its local flavour, while at the same time becoming a national voice for bilingual youth.
One of the first Katimavik volunteers to work at the News, and a spokesperson for the group, says, This is basically our idea, but I think we have the support of the national Katimavik office. Katimavik gets some good coverage in local papers, but there is no national voice for the program, or for that matter for youth in general. Local papers think that they cover youth through reports of school dances and the occasional profile of a valedictorian or student council president. The national press mainly talks about what we do wrong. Our group wants to write about what really matters to youth like music, clothes, hair styles, body piercing, and a national vision of a vibrant bilingual Canada.
The national Katimavik office was reluctant to comment on the takeover other than to say, off the record, that they knew about it and thought that Senator Jacques Hebert, the original founder of Katimavik, would approve, were he still living. The other comment from the national office was that the takeover would be friendly and respect the needs of the community and the staff at The News. When asked whether north Frontenac would be a good place for a bilingual weekly newspaper, the spokesperson said, I dont know the community very well, but I see that you have an advertiser named Mimi Antoine, a reporter named Don St. Pierre, and the editor is David Brisson. Those are very common names in Quebec, so I should think they would be supportive. We have also noted that a Marcel Giroux has recently received a prestigious award.
When contacted, David Brison said, I officially know nothing about this, but I have had my suspicions. I find as I get older that I am becoming slightly paranoid, and I must say that I have entertained the notion that Katimavik must have been up to something. We have had a steady stream of very talented young people working for us. Four of them were only 17 and were French speaking. Modie Rhult, one of the first volunteers, would have been able to run the paper. The latest, Patricia Dumont has only been with us for a few days, but she is incredibly versatile. I think they must have been planted here by Katimavik to get to know the newspaper business. Now that I think about it, another placement, Mark Hunter, did not have much interest in a community newspaper, but wanted to get a radical youth perspective across in his writing. He could very well be the ideologist behind this takeover. Collectively, the Katimavikers would have the capacity to get the paper out Marc had the potential to do all the graphic design, Kristen Rideout and Jos Mivier were both very capable reporters. I think Modie and Particia, despite their youth, could divide up the managing editor and editor positions.
Erin Croteau, the present project leader in Sharbot Lake, and Marcie Lackie, last years leader, both said that they had been told not to comment on the takeover by the national Katimavik office. However, one of them said, I knew nothing about this Im out of the loop and resent it. It sounds like a good idea, but they couldnt have a community newspaper without David Brison although Im not sure what he does. But I think they could work with him, and they seem committed to doing so.
Brison, however, was not very optimistic about the idea of combining a national bilingual weekly for youth and a community newspaper. Nor does he think that there would be much of a place for him in the new paper, Lets face it all this talk about a place for me is just nonsense. The name is Brison, not Brisson; I am too old for a youth paper, and am very unilingual. They would be putting me out to pasture, and maybe that is a good idea. I think this takeover would leave the area without a community newspaper. Jeff Green might be able to help them out he is from Montreal, and is somewhat bilingual. For all I know, he might be part of this whole takeover. Come to think of it, it is strange that he was in Montreal when this came to light.
Brisons parting shot was, I think the title The National Young Offender must have lost something in the translation. Im not going to fight this. If they want it, they can have it!
