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Diane Vermette at La Gazette de la Mauricie – et des environs: From Volunteer to Manager to Chairwoman

Colour photograph of Diane Vermette against a white backdrop.

Diane Vermette

 

Diane Vermette was involved with this independent regional newspaper from the very start. Founded in 1984 as La Gazette populaire, the publication was later renamed La Gazette de la Mauricie – et des environs. Generous with her time, Diane served as a member of the board of directors from 1984 to 1990, while also doing layout work as a volunteer.

She went on to manage the newspaper from 1991 to 1995. After retiring in 2019, she joined the proofreading team. In 2021, she rejoined the board of directors and has served on the paper’s editorial committee since 2023.

Front page of the September 2014 edition of La Gazette de la Mauricie, showcasing three articles. The photograph in the middle of the page shows six children sitting on a slide. The corresponding headline reads: “Public Education: A Tool for Social Solidarity.” The photograph at the bottom left shows a man using an electronic cigarette next to a headline that reads: “The E-Cigarette Debate.” The photograph at the bottom right shows a woman next to a headline that reads: “Nun in Jail.”

Front page of La Gazette de la Mauricie

 

Diane has fond memories of laying out the newspaper with the help of a light table. Before computers arrived on the scene, typewritten articles were printed using a phototypesetting machine and cut out with an exacto knife. They were then laid out on a light table that softened the wax on the back of the paper, making it possible to reorganize the pages. In the years that followed, the newspaper’s staff would go on to embrace the transition to computers and layout design software.

Black and white photograph showing four industrial typewriters and two men in a newsroom. One man is standing on the left, reviewing a text that has just been printed out. The other man is sitting on the right, typing on one of the machines. Electronic devices are mounted on the wall at the back of the room.

Typewriters (1947)

 

Denis Leclerc, Christiane Carle and Roger Deslauriers were the newspaper’s founders. They believed in the importance of independent print media and their bet paid off. Forty years later, La Gazette de la Mauricie – et des environs is still in business, delivering quality local news with professionalism, across the Mauricie and beyond!

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