The intense crisis shaking the Bayard group for a week finally got the better of two decisions made by the new chairman of the board, François Morinière. Faced with “concerns and misunderstandings” sparked by the announcement of the recruitment of Alban du Rostu as director of strategy and development, Monday November 25, and the acquisition of a stake in the takeover of the ESJ Paris journalism school, the management board announced, Monday December 2, give it up “for the sake of appeasement and unity”.
Through a press release, the board of directors – made up of François Morinière and Dominique Greiner, journalist and religious of the Assumptionist order – explains having taken the decision to leave the ESJ Paris round table by reselling its participation. “This decision must be confirmed by the supervisory board”writes the board. The latter will meet on Wednesday December 4 to endorse this choice.
Read also | Article reserved for our subscribers Crisis within the Bayard Group, shaken by fear of entry by the extreme right
Read later
Still in a press release, the board of directors of Bayard (which publishes the Catholic daily The Crossthe weekly The Pilgrimthe monthly Our Time and flagship titles from the children’s press: Apple of api, Astrapi, Okapi, I like reading…) makes it known that “Alban du Rostu, aware of the situation created by his appointment, proposed to renounce his entry into the group”. The board welcomes “his very great sense of responsibility”covenant “by mutual agreement not to proceed with his hiring to put an end to the unfair campaign of which he was the victim” and regretting “his recognized skills in the areas of development and his great human qualities”.
“Victory all round”
In the wake of this announcement, the Bayard inter-union welcomed a “victory all the way”. The employees saw in the recruitment of Mr. du Rostu, former right-hand man of the Catholic billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin, a desire to orient the group's line, until now in favor of social Catholicism, in a conservative direction. The pedigree of Mr. du Rostu explained this distrust. The latter participated in the launch of Mr. Stérin's political project, called “Pericles”, aimed at waging the battle of ideas in the service of identity, conservative and liberal values. This designation already followed the decision, by the new president of Bayard, to join forces in particular with the right-wing businessman Vincent Bolloré in the purchase of the ESJ Paris journalism school, an unrecognized private school. by profession.
You have 41.63% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
