JUDITH JASMIN – A PILLAR OF QUEBEC JOURNALISM

A building on the campus of the University of Quebec at Montreal is named after her; such is the influence of Judith Jasmin in Quebec society and among Quebec women.  The building is home to the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Communication, the School of Visual and Media Arts and the School of the Media, among other departments.

Born in the suburbs of Montreal in 1916, Judith Jasmin was first known as an actress, in a 1938 radio soap-opera.  Employed by Radio-Canada, she was also a producer and director.

In the spring of 1947, she moved to Radio Canada International and in 1951, along with René Lévesque, Jasmin covered the royal visit of then Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh.  She also hosted several programs, including the long-lasting Listener’s Corner.

In 1951, during a visit to Montreal, the French star, Maurice Chevalier, answers questions from Judith Jasmin.

Judith Jasmin continued her work at RCI and then made the move to national radio and television on the French-language network, Radio-Canada.  In 1959 she was the first woman reporter and became well-known for her work from abroad.

In 1966, she was named correspondent to the United Nations in New York.

As a pioneer of political journalism and electronic media, Judith Jasmin received the Olivar Asselin-prize, the highest award in Quebec journalism in 1978.  Judith Jasmin died on October 20, in Montreal in 1972.