Editorial Policy concerning election coverage

All election campaigns give journalists (and their newspapers) the privilege of being impartial observers, witnesses, and chroniclers of these fundamental exercises in democracy.

Courrier Laval and Courrier Laval Bilingual Edition are committed to upholding fairness and objectivity in their coverage of the current federal election campaign.

All information will be treated with the rigour elicited by the principle of journalistic practices of the <@Ri>Transcontinental Medias Newspaper Group (owner/publisher of Courrier Laval and Courrier Laval Bilingual Edition) and the code of ethics of the Quebec Federation of Professional Journalists (FPIQ).

Thus, it is our intention to provide balanced coverage of all political parties and candidates with respect to frequency, page placement, and space allocated.

During the election campaign, neither Courrier Laval nor Courrier Laval Bilingual Edition will publish opinion pieces or letters to the editor written from a partisan perspective, and all press releases/communiques of a political nature will be closely scrutinized.

Between now and Sunday, October 12, 2008 (our last publication date before the election of October 14), the make-up of the front pages of all issues of Courrier Laval and Courrier Laval Bilingual Edition (which are a reflection of the major events of the week) will continue to be the responsibility of the editors in whose hands rests the decision to place there the events considered most newsworthy for the period of time covered by that particular edition.