The big media news

in Quebec this morning is the resignation of Jeff Fillion, a so-called “shock jock” in Quebec City. For Anglos who might not have been following this story very much the news will seem curious at best, but underlying Fillion’s resignation is a series of interlocking stories that are at once fascinating and sordid. Fillion has been under immense pressure due to a defamation suit brought by TV weather host Sophie Chiasson, and there is little disagreement that Fillion – who savaged her for months on his show as being a witless, big-boobed no-talent – went way beyond the bounds of approppriateness in his commentary. At the same time, however, Chiasson is linked to Fillion’s disgraced (and again unemployed) arch-rival, the convicted pedophile Robert Gillet. Add to that the widespread suspicion that Gillet and people close to him were behind the CRTC’s threat to pull Fillion’s station’s license last summer. The larger story at play here touches on all aspects of Quebec City media and local politics, and it’s fascinating to follow from an outsider’s perspective.