Failure to meet journalistic professional standards can result in defamation

FAILURETOMEETJOURNALISTICPROFESSIONALSTANDARDSCANRESULTIN
DEFAMATION

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDJEAN-FRANÇOISJOURNAULT*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

PRECIS:InthematterofGIFRICc.CorporationSunMédia(JournaldeQuébec)[2009
QCCS4148],theQuebecSuperiorCourtruledthatthedefendantswereliableinlibel
becausetheyfailedtomeetacceptedprofessionalstandardswhenwritingacolumn
publishedinLeJournaldeQuébec,adailynewspapersoldinQuebecCity,Provinceof
Quebec.
PlaintiffGIFRICisanon-profitcorporationwhoseactivitiesarecenteredonthepromotion
anddevelopmentofinnovativeapproachesinmentalhealthcare.Theotherplaintiffsare
professionalsinvolvedwiththecorporationandparticularlywithoneofitstreatmentcenter
called“388”.GIFRICalsooperatesothertreatmentcentersintheProvinceofQuebec,and
isrecognizednationallyandinternationallyforthequalityofitswork.

ThedefendantsareCorporationSunMédia,Canada’slargestnewspaperpublisher,along
withoneofitsexperiencedjournalistandheadoftheNewsDepartmentforLeJournalde
Québec,J.JacquesSamson(thereinafter:“Samson”).

Facts
In1982,asameantofulfillitsmission,GIFRICopenedatreatmentcentercalled“388”in
QuebecCity.“388”offeredpsychoanalyticsolutionsforadultswithmentaldisordersthat
hospitalisationandtraditionalmedicationsfailedtocure.Inorderfor“388”tooperate,
GIFRICenteredintoaserviceagreementwiththethenCentreHospitalierRobertGiffard
(thereinafter:CHRG)nowreferredtoasInstitutUniversitaireenSantéMentaleduQuébec.
TheagreementstipulatedthatCHRGwouldberesponsibleforthefinancingof“388”and
thatsuchfinancingwastocomefromaspecialbudgetgrantedtoCHRGbytheQuebec
DepartmentofHealthandSocialServices.Furthermore,CHRGfoundasuitablelocationto
allow“388”tooperatebutrefusedtobuyititself.CHRGrequestedthatGIFRIC’sdirectors
proceedwiththepurchase,whichtheydidviaacompanysolelydevotedtothepurchasing

©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.Jean-FrançoisJournaultis
anarticlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-11-12issueofWorldMediaLawReport.
Publication328.077.

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ofpropertiesusedtoimplementGIFRIC’sprojects.Thiscompanysubsequentlyleasedthe
premisestoCHRG.
In1990,thebuildingwassoldtoanindividualwithnoconnectiontoGIFRIC,afterareport
concludedthatthefactthatsomeofGIFRIC’sdirectorswerealsoinvolvedwiththecompany
thatleasedthepremisestoCHRGgaverisetoappearanceofconflictofinterest.

Overtheyears,occasionalconflictsarosebetweenGIFRICandCHRGconcerningthe
financingof“388”.Ultimately,theresolutionofeveryoftheseconflictsrequiredsomedegree
ofgovernmentalinvolvement.ThelastconflictoccurredwhenCHRGdecidedtoterminate
itsagreementwithGIFRIC,andthereforeclose“388”.Thisdecisionpromptedmanycivil
groupstorequestgovernmentalactioninordertoensurethecontinuationoftheservices.
Thepublicsupporttowards“388”pressedthethenMinisterofHealthandSocialServicesto
appointaconciliatorinordertoresolvetheconflict.

ItisduringthisconciliationprocessthatapublicrelationsofficerofCHRGcontactedthe
journalistSamson.AmeetinglatertookplacebetweenSamson,thepublicrelationsofficer
ofCHRGandadirectorofCHRG.Followingthisdiscussion,Samsonwrotethecontentious
column,inwhichhereportedtheinformationhewasprovidedwithduringthemeeting.
Amongstotherthings,SamsonwrotethatCHRGcontinuouslyhadtodealwithcompanies
connectedwithGIFRIC’sdirectorsandthatsubstantialdisparitiesbetweenthemortgage
costsofthepremisesandtheleasingfeescouldbenoted.Hementionedpotentialrisksof
conflictofinterestbecauseofthepossibilityofGIFRIC’spersonnelreferringpatientstotheir
ownprivateclinics.Samsonalsoaffirmedthattheresolutionofpastconflictsseemedtobe
duetothepoliticalinfluenceofGIFRIC’smembers.Heconcludedbyinsinuatingthat“388”
hadbeenveryprofitableforGIFRIC’sdirectors.
Followingthepublicationofthecolumn,GIFRICsentaformalnoticetothedefendants
statingthatthecolumnwasdefamatorytoGIFRIC,itsdirectorsanditsemployees.Inthis
notice,GIFRIClistedalltheerroneousfactscontainedinthearticleandprovidedthe
defendantswiththeaccurateinformations.GIFRICfurtherdemandedthatanewarticlebe
publishedinordertorectifyallincorrectstatements.

Afewdayslater,thedefendantspublishedanarticlestatingthatafewclarificationsneeded
tobemadeinregardtothepreviouscolumn,andthusprovidingminorprecisions.

Theplaintiffsthentookalegalactioninordertobeindemnifiedfortheharmcausedtotheir
reputation.Judgment

TheCourtstatedthatfreedomofspeechisafundamentalvaluethatmustbeexercisedin
respectofotherindividualrightsandasameantoservepublicinterest.Journalistsmust
complywithacceptedprofessionalstandardsandareliablewhentheyfailtodoso.Such
standardscompriseanobligationtoactdiligentlyandprudently,toverifythefactsandto
correcterrorsimmediately.Eventhoughcolumnistsexpressopinionsthatareprotectedby
freedomofspeech,theyareneverthelessboundbyanobligationofdiligenceandprudence.

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Inthiscase,Samsondidnotmeetsuchstandardsashewrotehiscolumnwithouteven
speakingtotheplaintiffsinordertoheartheirsideofthestory.Samsonimprudently
consideredonlythefactsreportedbyasourceneitherimpartialnorobjective.Hadhebeen
morecautiousandproceededwithminimalinquiries,hisopinioninregardto“388”andits
directorswouldhavebeendifferent.
TheCourtnotedthatfor17yearsGIFRIChadnotieswhatsoeverwiththecompanyowning
thepremisesinwhich“388”waslocatedandthatevenwhensuchtiesexisted,nothing
showedthatthetermsoftheleasingagreementdifferedfromordinarymarketconditions.It
alsostatedthatthepotentialconflictofinterestinregardtopatientsreferralwasnon-
existentasonlypatientsthatcouldnotbetreatedinprivateclinicswereadmittedto”388”,
andthatthestatementregardingGIFRIC’spoliticalinfluencewasunfounded.Allofthese
factswouldhavecometotheknowledgeofSamsonhadhemetwiththeplaintiffspriorto
writinghiscolumn.Suchcarelessconduct,inregardtojournalisticbehaviour,constitutesa
tortforwhichtheplaintiffsareentitledtoclaimdamages.

TheCourtfurthernotedthattheformalnoticesentbytheplaintiffsprovidedthedefendants
withalltheelementsnecessarytoretractoratleastsettherecordstraight.Instead,the
defendantspublishedanarticlethatonlybroughtminorrectifications,thereforereinforcing
thedefamatoryopinionsconveyedintheoriginalcolumn.

Fortheforegoingreasons,theCourtorderedthedefendantstojointlypaydamagesinthe
amountof$145,000tobedividedbetweentheplaintiffsonaproratabasisaccordingtothe
damagessustained.However,theCourtrefusedtograntpunitivedamagesasitfoundthe
defendantsdidnotactintentionallyorinbadfaith.Theplaintiffs’requesttotheeffectthat
thejudgmentbepublishedwasalsorefused.

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