The Sad Autumn Day by Jeremy Filosa

I have a lot of respect for Filo. He’s covered several sports teams – including the Montreal CF, which I’m covering this season – and he’s always done it with passion and consistency. What’s more, he’s always been sharp with non-traditional media people trying to make their way in the business.

I also like to listen to 98.5 FM in the car (gasoline-powered, sorry), when BPM Sports isn’t so good or when they’re broadcasting repeat content. And when my boyfriend Frank “Hollywood” Fortin isn’t on the air at 96.9 FM…

So it was hard for me to find the perfect angle to talk about what’s been going on with Jeremy Filosa over the past 24 hours.

But since perfection doesn’t exist, I’m going to go with all my imperfection.

First, some background: Filosa took part in a round-table discussion yesterday afternoon, during high-traffic hours, on the subject of whether or not to be luno-sensitive. In short, Philippe Cantin asked his colleagues if they felt they were different when the moon was absent, full or super-sized.

Funny subject, isn’t it?

Some 98.5 FM employees said they were luno-sensitive, others not…

And Filo said the moon had no effect on him. At least not to his knowledge…

Except he should have stopped there, Filosa. He went on to say that, according to what he’d read, he no longer believed that man had set foot on the Moon. This was followed by a highly uncomfortable discussion in which Philippe Cantin roughed up Filosa, who was unable to defend his position. I’ll let you listen for yourselves:

ww.danslescoulisses.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/filo-dans-la-lune-mp3cut.net_.mp3

“Filosa: Listen, the Moon is here. But I’ll make a confession: I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but for a long time I believed that man had walked on the Moon, but I no longer believe that man has walked on the Moon.

Cantin: You don’t believe that man has walked on the Moon?

Filosa: I no longer believe. With everything I’m reading today in the latest news about the difficulties of sending rockets into space and all that, I don’t believe in that… I don’t believe in it anymore.

Cantin: Listen, Filo, I’m speechless at your assertion. I think you’re reading too many unreliable websites.”

According to my information, Filosa met with his bosses yesterday after the homecoming show. It was strongly suggested that he take Friday (today) off. This morning, they decided to suspend him indefinitely.

Why was this? On what grounds? Because Filosa has damaged the journalistic profession. He’s lost credibility, he’s caused his colleagues and the station to lose credibility, and his comments have affected the entire Québécois media community.

Journalists must not relay false information on air or in their texts. It’s a basic principle of the profession and must be respected in order to maintain public confidence. Even when you’re a sports journalist…

Filo made two mistakes: he believed in the theory put forward by certain so-called conspiracy theorists, when it is universally accepted and proven that man has indeed set foot on the Moon, and he thought it was a good idea to deny this during prime time on a station like 98.5 FM. You weren’t at a private party late on a Saturday night with your buddies…

98.5 FM, La Presse, Le Devoir, Radio-Canada… there are media outlets for whom it’s even more important to be whiter than white. Filo should have known better.

It wasn’t a question of opinion, but of scientific fact.

That said, suspending (and considering firing) Filo because he’s allegedly a conspiracy the orist and/or a Holocaust denier, I wonder if that’s going too far. We’ve got the easy culture cancel in 2024. And I’m afraid it’ll be even worse in 2025, then 2026…

Filosa is a beat reporter and a sports columnist. Maybe we should consider paying him to talk about… sports, not luno-sensitivity?

Especially since asking whether you’re luno-sensitive is a tricky enough question in the first place. Scientifically speaking, it seems to be recognized that the Moon has no effect on human beings. #Esotericism? #CognitiveBias?

I quote from National Geographic : When sleep labs pull up data on the nights of hundreds of patients, it’s very clear: the Moon has no effect on our sleep. In studies with large samples and long durations, without data selection, no effect of the full moon on suicides, murders and other incidents is observed.

La Presse also made the same point in 2012.

Beliefs about the effect of the Full Moon on sleep have more to do with the fact that, hundreds or even thousands of years ago, the bright light caused by the Full Moon prevented some people sleeping outdoors from falling asleep. And to the fact that, over the years, beliefs have been perpetuated and myths have grown.

Should we suspend Philippe Cantin and all those who spoke about luno-sensitivity on the air yesterday?

Should we stop bringing Christian Page, a guy whose mandate is to talk about the paranormal and the occult, into the same studio?

Should we stop giving jobs to anyone who makes important life decisions based on what’s written in a holy book? I know, I digress…

But basically, what I’m saying is that I’m aware that Filo made a mistake yesterday on air… except that I have a hard time with the propensity we have in Quebec to pounce on someone and devour them whole in the public sphere.

Filosa could apologize, say he’ll be better, and we could move on, couldn’t we?

Listening to the extract shared above in its entirety, it’s clear that there seems to be something broken between Philippe Cantin and Jeremy Filosa.

What will the 98.5 FM bosses decide? If they were able to get rid of Pierre-Yves McSween and MC Gilles, I fear for Filo’s future…

Martin Lemay kept his job after a similar storm last spring; will Filosa be able to weather his? I hope so (I really do), but I’m not sure. There are precedents (and the Filosa case could become another for the future).

Filosa has been with 98.5 FM since 2007. He currently refuses to comment on the situation.