Media Regionalism as a Historical Feature of Quebec Mass Media

Abstract

The current issue of information access for different nations within one state is examined. The media of Quebec, the only francophone province of Canada, give us a clear example. However, Russian scholars almost disregard this domain. Therefore, the research is based on the Canadian works (M. Brunet, A. Beaulieu and J. Hamelin, W.H. Kesterton) in French and in English. The Royal Commission on Newspapers Report (1981), which described two separate media systems (French media and English media), was used as well. The focus is on the Franco-Canadian national problem and its influence on Quebec media historic evolution. This process moves from bilingual editions (two first newspapers were published in French and in English simultaneously) to modern monolingual media system. Through comparative analysis, the relationship between media bilingualism and media monolingualism in Quebec of 18-21st centuries is examined. Quebecs modern information politics can be defined as media regionalism (French language and specific Quebec content). Media regionalisms object is to resist federal doctrine one country - one nation with two languages, the base of Official Language Act (1969). As a result, the absence of traditional federal official media bilingualism in Quebec, which tries to save its national heritage by media regionalism, was discovered.