Marcel Desjardins (journalist)

Desjardins was born on 28 April 1941, in Grenville, Quebec.[1] He began his career in journalism at age 17, writing for Le Carillon in Hawkesbury, Ontario. He moved to Ottawa in 1962, then worked part-time for Le Droit and attended the University of Ottawa.[1] He married Micheline Danis in 1963, with whom he had three children.[1] Desjardins later attended the University of Toronto, then became the political correspondent for Le Droit in 1967, covering the events in the House of Commons of Canada.[1]

Desjardins joined La Presse in 1970, then became the National Assembly of Quebec.[1] Desjardins was made an honorary member of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association in February 1971.[2] He became the director of information for Montréal-Matin in 1976, then worked for Radio-Canada from 1979 to 1988, as the editor-in-chief of televised news broadcasts and as director of the political news program Le Point.[1][3][4] He was also responsible for the current affairs program Impact.[1] He received the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award in 1984, in recognition of his hockey journalism.[5] He was one of the founding governors of an organization established to oversee the National Newspaper Awards in 1989.[1] He returned to La Presse as the news director in 1988, then became its vice-president and assistant editor in 1999.[3][4][6]

Desjardins died on 10 February 2003,[3][6] and was interred at St-Alphonse Cemetery in Hawkesbury.[7] Fellow Quebec television journalist Pierre Nadeau described Desjardins by saying, "The man was as solid as a rock, physically and mentally. He had an unerring sense of news judgment. He also had a fabulous sense of humour. He had a way of handling difficult egos with charm, tact, refinement and strength".[1] Jean Chretien, then the Prime Minister of Canada, knew Desjardins from his coverage at the House of Commons and remembered him for "his dynamic personality and his extraordinary talent".[1]