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It’s here: La Conversation Canada

The view from the Montréal office of La Conversation Canada.

La Conversation Canada has arrived. It’s the French-language edition of a new Canadian journalism publication that has attracted millions of readers since its launch last year.

The model of The Conversation combines academia with journalism. Academic authors work with professional journalists as their editors to produce research-based explanatory journalism and expert-based analysis for the general public.

The Conversation Canada launched in mid-2017. More than 1,300 articles — viewed more than 20 million times — have been published since then.

The Conversation was started in Australia in 2011 and there are now editions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Africa, Indonesia, Spain and France. All of the content produced by the global Conversation network, including Canada, is published under creative commons licence — meaning it can be republished by any media outlet anywhere.

Dozens of French-language academics from Canada have already been published by working with The Conversation France and many have had their work translated into English and published by The Conversation Canada. But from now on, authors from Québec universities and other francophone and bilingual institutions across the country will have their own publication.

“We believe there is a strong contribution to the public debate to be made by our faculty and we encourage them to contribute articles to this new and promising alternative media,” says Sophie Langlois, director of Université de Montréal’s communications and public relations office. “As the first francophone university in Canada to support La Conversation, we hope our voices will reach out to the rest of Canada.”

Martine Turenne is editor of La Conversation Canada. She has an extensive background in Québec media: TC Media (Les Affaires and Commerce), Québecor (Le Journal de Montréal, TVA-Argent), L’actualité and Radio-Canada.

“I am very proud to launch La Conversation Canada,” said Turenne. “More than ever, there’s a need for relevant explanatory journalism based on solid research and facts. We’re already working with many francophone academics from Québec universities and others across Canada and we look forward to publishing interesting and timely articles.”

Plans to launch a French-language version have been in the works for months.

“We’re excited to offer francophone academics in Québec and across Canada the chance to be part of this great new model of journalism that has transformed knowledge mobilization from the world of academia to the general public,” said David Estok, chair of the board of directors for The Conversation Canada/La Conversation Canada.

The Conversation Canada was founded by professors Mary Lynn Young and Alfred Hermida of the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia.

The launch of La Conversation Canada wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our partners, including the Université de Montréal, Concordia University, UQAM and the entire Université du Québec network, Bishop’s University, Laurentian University, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, the Lawson Foundation, the Margaret and Wallace McCain Family Foundation, the office of the Chief Scientist of Québec, CIHI, Genome Canada, Universities Canada, SSHRC and the Brookfield Institute.

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