![\\"logo\\"](\\"/img/logo-dpa-factchecking.svg\\"/) *About ![\\"IFCN](\\"/img/ifcn-certificate.png\\"/) ![\\"EFCSN](\\"/img/efcsn- certificate.png\\"/) # A Justin Trudeau joke about the media that was diverted 8.2.2022, 1:31 p.m. (CET) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reportedly made a statement “ mind-blowing”, if we are to believe the screenshots circulating on Facebook for a few days. He is said to have declared: “How can journalists were able to slap us in the back knowing that we paid them $ 600 million! ". This would thus be proof that the press was bribed by the government. ## Assessment Justin Trudeau spoke about paying the press during a speech in 2019. He is, however, a joke referring to an aid plan for Canadian media. By omitting the complete speech and taking out its statements out of context, Facebook posts are misleading. ## Facts Posts circulate in different forms on social networks, but are all based on the same video. This is an extract from a speech given by Justin Trudeau on May 4, 2019, during the Tribune’s annual dinner from the Canadian parliamentary press. The video, which lasts a little less than 30 seconds, resurfaced at the beginning of February 2022, notably on Twitter, where she has more than 240,000 views. We see the Canadian Prime Minister in a black suit in front of a lectern. He then declared, to the exclamations of the public (translated from English): “These Lately, we sometimes hear about liberal bias in the media, about how they constantly spare our government for no good reason. Frankly, I find it insulting. It is clear that they are sparing us for a very good reason; because we pay them 600 million dollars. YOU don\'t get such extraordinary headlines without grease the paw. » In the Facebook post and on Twitter, these statements were found summarized by “How the journalists were able to slap us in the back knowing that we paid them $600 million", which is far from being a exact translation of what Trudeau said. The video ends with an image of Prime Minister all smiles, flanked by two Canadian flags, with the caption “Traditional media? I just bought them.” The video shared on Twitter, however, fails to show an important aspect present in the original (from the 39th minute). When Justin Trudeau utters the phrase "You don\'t get such extraordinary headlines without greasing the paw a little”, examples of titles published in the press parade, like “Justin Trudeau and the zero degree of reflection” or even “Trudeau has lost the moral authority to govern.” The image at the end Twitter video has been added. The Prime Minister's words are therefore ironic. The rest of the speech Justin Trudeau is also full of jokes, particularly on news of the time, and punctuated by the laughter of the people present in the room. His tone is clearly humorous. The edited video of his speech had already been subject to verification. the Canadian public channel CBC in September 2019. This highlighted the usually self-deprecating tone taken by politicians during this event. The channel also clarified that Trudeau's joke referred to the announcement in November 2018 of a media aid plan, in the form of tax advantages worth 595 million Canadian dollars (approximately 410 million euros) over five years. The plan sparked criticism at the time from the from the opposition but also from certain journalists. More recently, other media have also reported Justin Trudeau's comments in their context, notably here and here in French and here and here in English. (Inventory as of 02/08/2022) ## Links Facebook post (archived version) Archived video About the Parliamentary Press Gallery (archived version) Excerpt from Trudeau's speech on Twitter (archived version) Justin Trudeau's full speech CBC Fact Check – 2019 (archived version) On the media assistance plan – 2018 (archived version) On opposition criticism – 2018 (archived version) On criticism from journalists – 2019 (archived version) AFP fact-check (archived version) Fact-check from Le Monde (archived version) Politifact fact-check (archived version) AP fact-check (archived version) Contact the dpa fact-checking team: factcheck- belgium@dpa.com powered by dpa-newslab | Imprint | Privacy | About:
Mindblowing statement from Justin Trudeau who says he paid the media 600 million