Marcel Desjardins

Marcel Desjardins (28 April 194110 February 2003) was a Canadian journalist, news editor and director. He was a political correspondent for Le Droit and La Presse, before becoming an editor at Radio-Canada. He later returned to La Presse as the news director, then as the vice-president and assistant editor. He also covered ice hockey and was recognized with the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.

Career Desjardins was born on 28 April 1941, in Grenville, Quebec. 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. 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. He was also responsible for the current affairs program Impact. He was one of the founding governors of an organization established to oversee the National Newspaper Awards in 1989.

Death and legacy Desjardins died on 10 February 2003, 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". 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".