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Archiver > NYNASSAU > 2002-03 > 1016640281


From: David J Lindstedt <>
Subject: [NYNASSAU] Fw: Re: [MONTREAL] Why does it say "Since 1778" on Montreal Gazette.
Date: Wed, 20 Mar 2002 11:04:41 -0500


Thought this might prove of interest to the group.
Dave

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "A&M Brown" <>
To:
Date: Tue, 19 Mar 2002 20:39:00 -0500
Subject: Re: [MONTREAL] Why does it say "Since 1778" on Montreal Gazette.

Hello again Malcolm,

Well, there is a little truth in the Franklin myth.
Benjamin Franklin was involved in Montreal's first printer. Franklin
brought
Fleury Mesplet to Montreal in 1776 at the behest of Congress to help
interest the inhabitants of Montreal in joining the American Cause.
Franklin did a "Runner" when British authorities appeared, but poor
Mesplet
could hardly make a quick evacuation with a printing press. He was jailed
for a few weeks then released and allowed to pursue his occupation as a
commercial printer. Two years later, 1778, Mesplet started a newspaper
called "La Gazette du Commerce et Littraire." Pretty hard to credit
Franklin with that event.
When Mesplet died in 1794 his newspaper ceased to exist and Montreal was
without a newspaper for nearly two years. Two other newspapers started up
but both later collapsed in bankruptcy. Then the company was formed that
published The Montreal Gazette and it continues to this day.

Looking at a recent issue of The Gazette (twice :-) the masthead says,
"Montreal THE GAZETTE since 1778" yet on the cover of the paper's
anniversary book it says, "On the occasion of The Montreal Gazette's
175th
Anniversary..."
Now I'm beginning to wonder if the company name is The Montreal Gazette
but
the paper is titled "The Gazette." Anyway, I still find it hard to
understand how they can jumble four different unrelated companies
together
and refer to it as their own "Company's achievement."

Alan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Malcolm Paterson" <>
To: <>
Sent: March 18, 2002 5:07 PM
Subject: Re: [MONTREAL] Why does it say "Since 1778" on Montreal Gazette.


> Hi Alan,
>
> It was always my understanding that The Gazette was founded by Benjamin
> Franklin and that it was a French-language sheet at that time. I
suspect
> 1778 was the year he set up his press with the object of formenting
trouble
> amongst the recently conquered Canadiens. He had little success and
soon
> sold the operation and went home. How much of this is mythology, I
don't
> know.
>
> The name of the newspaper, incidently, is simply "The Gazette".
Montreal
is
> not mentioned anywhere in or even under the masthead. (The
discriminating
> reader knows. (o: )
>
> Cheers!
> Malcolm
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "A&M Brown" <>
> To: <>
> Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 7:43 PM
> Subject: [MONTREAL] Why does it say "Since 1778" on Montreal Gazette.
>
>
> > On August 3, 1807, James Brown published a new newspaper in Montreal
> called
> > "The Canadian Gazette." Brown did not buy or acquire another
newspaper,
> > this was a brand new company. Just seven months later - March 14,
1808 -
> > Brown announced, "The title of our paper will be in the future The
> Montreal
> > Gazette."
> > Years later Brown sold The Montreal Gazette to Thomas Turner and
> > through an unbroken succession of owners that newspaper has continued
> > publishing to the present day. This clearly indicates that the
company
> > publishing the Montreal Gazette was founded in 1807 and published its
> > first issue bearing that name in 1808.
> >
> > So why does the heading "Since 1778" appear every day on the masthead
of
> the
> > Gazette? 1778 is thirty years before the company was founded.
> >
> > The answer lies in the history of the Gazette which was published by
the
> > Gazette itself. The book is titled "A Tradition Lives." It begins
with
"A
> > Tradition Begins," and the second section tells of a "Tradition
> > Established."
> > The magic word here is "TRADITION."
> >
> > In other words the Gazette lays claim to the "TRADITION" of
presenting
the
> > people of Montreal with a newspaper with the word "Gazette" somewhere
in
> the
> > title. There were three newspapers, of varying titles, published in
> Montreal
> > with the word "Gazette" in the title prior to the founding of the
present
> > newspaper.
> > Not one of those papers had any business connection to the other, nor
to
> the
> > Canadian Gazette which launched the present Montreal Gazette.
> >
> > Is there a precedent for this? Or another example of a company that
> proudly
> > proclaims a date that precedes its founding? We would have to
rewrite
> > history if every company proudly proclaimed a date not of its
founding
but
> > rather of the origin of the goods or service it provided.
> >
> > The problem here is that history is actually being rewritten as the
years
> > roll by and "Since 1778" establishes itself in the historic record
and
> > psychic of Montreal as the founding date of the Gazette. That's
probably
> > what the Gazette intended when it stated, "Canada's best newspaper,
> > Established 1778."
> >
> > Alan
> >



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