Does Sarkozy exert too much influence over the French media?

Posted by Emma Heald on July 5, 2010 at 11:47 AM

Nicolas Sarkozy has a worrying degree of influence over the French media, according to an article in the Guardian today. Prompted by his "shocking" alleged interference in the recent sale of French daily Le Monde, Guardian writer Kim Willsher looked at the ways in which the French president influenced the media and discussed fears of the "Berlusconisation" of the media.

Sarkozy called in Le Monde's editor-in-chief Eric Fottorino before the sale of the paper to express his concerns about one of the takeover offers, which it seemed he feared might turn the paper against his government. This promptly led to criticism over the level of his involvement and possibly contributed to the takeover offer in question being approved by Le Monde's staff.

But this is not all, writes Willsher: two radio satirists that Sarkozy did not like were sacked a few days later. She noted that the president changed the law to allow himself to chose the head of France Télévisions (the three state channels - he just chose Rémy Pflimlin), and that there are concerns over the independence of national news agency Agence France-Presse as it plans to turn into a public firm with state capital.

Unlike Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who directly owns various media outlets including three of the largest private television networks, Sarkozy does not own any himself. However, "some of his closest friends do: friends he is not afraid to call when he needs them," Willsher explains. These friends include Arnaud Lagardère (whose properties include Paris Match, Elle, Journal du Dimanche and several radio stations and cable TV networks), Martin Bouygues (TF1, Eurosport and other cable channels), Bernard Arnault (La Tribune, Investir and Radio Classique), Serge Dassault (Le Figaro) and Francois Pinault (Le Point). It was reported separately last month that Lagardère was also interested in buying Le Parisien.

Willsher quotes a socialist MP who believes that the mainstream media are becoming more right wing, and a journalist who feels, on the other hand, that the president's powers to meddle are limited.

Sarkozy as president has been far more of a media figure than his predecessors, eager to appear in the news and to sculpt his appearance, and therefore his interest in having some control over media outlets is not overly surprising. The fact that the Le Monde journalists were willing and able to reject the president's preferred bid shows that the degree of his influence is indeed limited, and it is vital that it stays that way. The independence of the press is fundamentally importance to a democracy, and undoubtedly the media must be to keep watch on the government.

Source: Guardian