Worried by the incessant stream of hateful comments and threats that artist Safia Nolin has been receiving for the past two years, her record company, Bonsound, came to her defense on Thursday by asking columnists Richard Martineau and Sophie Durocher to stop ‘intimidate.
“We ask that you be humane and consider the impact your words and actions have on Safia’s mental health and safety. [Nolin] Bonsound asked in a post on his social media. This message was addressed directly to the columnists of the Montreal Journal Richard Martineau and Sophie Durocher and their employer, Quebecor.
The record company accuses them of fueling hatred towards Safia Nolin by continuing to publish chronicles aimed at intimidating her at “the slightest comment she makes”, and this, by placing themselves “under the cover of the opinion piece “. Bonsound points out that the singer-songwriter receives “alarmingly frequently” hateful messages, including death threats.
“I want this to stop, I don’t want anyone else to have to go through this. […] If ever something happened to me — because with the number of threats I receive after your [chroniques]there’s something to be afraid of — I hope you’ll be able to sleep on both ears, ”said Safia Nolin on Instagram on Friday.
In interview with The duty last May, she had already confided in the insults and threats she received on a daily basis. She had indicated that she was sometimes “afraid for [sa] security” as this outpouring of hatred has spilled over from her digital life to manifest itself in “the real world” since she denounced the actions of actress Maripier Morin on Instagram in July 2020. She made particular reference to the hateful graffiti she was subjected to across Montreal.
This public release of Bonsound comes the day after a new column by Sophie Durocher about the artist. In this text entitled “Appoint Safia Nolin Minister of Justice! “, the columnist accuses him of having criticized Star Académie for having invited Patrick Bruel to his set last Sunday. The French singer has been targeted by allegations of sexual misconduct and has been the subject of a preliminary investigation by French justice. The investigation was closed without further action in December 2020.
Relentlessness and free opinion
At the time these lines were written, Quebecor and columnists Sophie Durocher and Richard Martineau had not responded to interview requests from the Homework. Mr. Martineau, however, reacted on Facebook several times in recent days, judging that Safia Nolin was “totally incapable of taking the slightest criticism” and that she said she was the victim “of a situation that[elle] a [elle]-even created.
On social networks, several personalities have come to the defense of the artist, including actress Catherine Brunet, author Martine Delvaux, filmmaker Monia Chokri or comedians Marie-Lyne Joncas, Adib Alkhalidey and Sam Breton.
“It’s relentless! They have the technical right to criticize Safia Nolin, her positions are public. But doing it so abundantly, so often, is relentless,” laments author Judith Lussier in an interview.
In his latest book Cancelled. Reflections on cancel culture (2021), she identified the number of times Safia Nolin had been criticized in daily chronicles. Result: 34 “unfavorable” texts, including 20 by Sophie Durocher, were published between November 2016 and July 2020, before the singer denounced Maripier Morin. Since then, the pace has accelerated. For 2022 alone, this is the third column that Mme Durocher writes about Safia Nolin. “I find it very serious what Safia Nolin is being subjected to, just in order to generate clicks and/or silence her,” insists Judith Lussier.
Professor Marc-François Bernier, who teaches journalism ethics and professional conduct at the University of Ottawa, points out that it’s not uncommon to see columnists — and not just at Montreal Journal — have their “preferred targets”, their “pet peeves”. “And they have the right, at least until proven otherwise. That is to say when eventually a court will conclude that it is harassment or defamation, if it goes that far, ”he explains.
The professor points out that the chronicle is the journalistic genre that has the most freedom. “Afterwards, is it still justified, is it ethical? That’s another question. Because, he continues, ethics are specific to each columnist. The latter can decide to “align” with journalistic standards and practices or ignore them. Of course, the employer has a say if he feels that the limit has been exceeded.
“No one can be completely insensitive to the repercussions of their speeches, their opinions, in the public space. It must be considered when you have such a platform, ”he concludes.