Actors accused of violence: the delicate exercise of obituaries

Actors accused of violence: the delicate exercise of obituaries
Actors accused of violence: the delicate exercise of obituaries

“Dark”, “tortured”, “unpredictable”… So many terms used in the newspapers to describe the French actorçais Niels Arestrup aprupon the announcement of his death on December 1st. In all the obituaries published, journalists salute his roles, his notable filmography (A prophet, Goodbye up there), his three Caesars and his MolièD. But not everyone approaches the same way accusations of violence towards his partners on screen or on stage. From the 1970s, several actresses, including Miou-Miou, Isabelle Adjani and Myriam Boyer (who obtained damages), revealed that they had been slapped by the actor. Concerning the first, he even recounted having “ intestinesthe eardrum ».

Fabien Randanne, journalist in the culture department of 20 Minuteswas on duty the day the actor died. While Sundays are usually quiet in the newsrooms, he had to decide on his own how to handle the news.crology following the “urgent » sent by Agence Presse (AFP), at 10:54 a.m. “When I saw the AFP alert, I immediately said to myself: “It seems to me that this actor has some stories”, but I didn’t really remember the details anymore. »he confides. One thing is certain: these affairs must be mentioned because they are part of the character. “This is purely factual information. I pay tribute to to carryremarkable era, then I outline what we know »explains the journalist from 20 Minuteswho devoted half of son article to the accusations.

« #MeToo encourages us to favor investigation over the fascination »

Le Figaro evokes the violence in his obituary published the same day. More details are given the next day, in an article dedicated to the reactions – notably that of Isabelle Adjani – caused by his disappearance: “Death of Niels Arestrup: tributes but also criticism of his behavior with women”.

Didier Péron, head of the culture department at Liberationalso chooses to address the accusations of violence in son article entitled “Death of Niels Arestrup: intense to the point of excess”, based initially on the AFP dispatch then on archives added during the day. The newspaper also goes back a portrait of 2021 by Niels Arestrup, published in the famous “Der” from the newspaper, named “Arestrup declawed”. With hindsight, Didier Péron sees this as an error: “The situation was discussed thereand, more in a way ambiguousë. [C]e paper […] was too light. » Because, he insists, “journalistically, artistically, socially, #MeToo encourages us to favor investigation over the fascination ».

The same day, Liberation also shares on Instagram the obituary written by Didier Péron. But, in this publication, the violence is not mentioned. In the comments, Internet users are outraged. Luc Le Vaillant – journalist in charge of “Der” – takes care to respond to each comment. “Read the whole picture. All this is mentioned. »

“Neither complaint, nor trial”

Other – rare – newspapers, on the contrary, choose to ignore accusations of violence, such as Current values or The JDD. Among those who ignored the subject, a manager explains that he does not feel “legitimate” to answer our questions about obituaries, an exercise he is not used to.

Others mention the accusations, without elaborating too much. This is the case of Teleramafor example, or even Monde. “We apply journalistic treatment based on what is known about the personality, any complaints there may have been and any trials. It’s a factual paper about this person’s life”underlines Guillaume Fraissard, the head of the culture department at Monde. However, in the case of Niels Arestrupif everyday life decides “not to obscure the facts”, “there is neither complaint nor trial”. The dosage will therefore not be the same as for the future obituary of Harvey Weinstein, famous producer convicted of rape by the courts.

The Parisian took up an AFP dispatch mentioning a career “also tainted by accusations of violence against actresses during filming or rehearsals, among others by Isabelle Adjani or Myriam Boyer”, specifying that“no complaint was ever filed against him.” A second paperpublished the same day and devoted to reactions to her death, mentions the slap to Isabelle Adjani and gives the floor to the latter.

“One foot on the brake”

Journalist at The CrossSabine Gignouxunaccustomed to the cinema section, says “not having been very comfortable” in the exercise of this obituary, to be written between several Sunday emergencies. “With the editor-in-chief, we debated at length about how closely we should handle the matter. For example, we asked ourselves whether we should include an additional article for the next day’s paper newspaper.tells us the journalist who could not see herself ignoring business. “But I still had one foot on the brake. These are often stories of word against word. »

The title, “A strong presence on stage and screen,” was also the subject of discussion. For Sabine Gignoux, this formulation indirectly evoked violence. “We can both see the presence on the stage, but also between the lines, the other side of his character”she emphasizes. Before adding: “It was perhaps too allusive. »

The stress of those following

Few newsrooms have already established clear rules regarding the #MeToo movement. “Maybe it would be a little easier to do it. HAS Liberationwe have always avoided major definitive declarations which consist of suggesting that we would not repeat the errors or shortcomings of the past.recalls Didier Péron.

The choice of treatment to be given to accusations of violence – whether sexual or sexist – upon the death of a personality is made mainly on a case-by-case basis, several journalists interviewed tell us. The example of Niels Arestrup is easy to decide: although he is a great actor, his notoriety in French cinema remains limited. “I wondered if we should go beyond a simple obituary and devote a paper to his cases of violence, remembers Fabien Randanne. But Niels Arestrup’s notoriety is not that important so I decided not to multiply the angles. »

Covering the disappearance of Gérard Depardieu or Roman Polanski – both accused of rape – is more worrying. “If, in ten minutes, Gérard Depardieu dies… çit’s going to be complicated, anticipates Didier Péron. With all the complaints against him and the gigantic career he has had, we risk finding ourselves in a delicate situation. » Some journalists fear having to deal with the death of a person guilty of or accused of SGBV: “There are cases where we hold our noses a little”admits one of them who did not wish to tell us more.

However, for Fabien Randanne as for Didier Péron, this subject must be discussed within the editorial staff as it is linked to the #MeToo movement. “The question of birthcrology is one aspect of it, more it remains relatively marginal compared to the heart of the problem”recalls the journalist from Liberation. For his colleague from 20 Minutesthe decision to address this issue must be made collectively. “It’s like the recognition of the term “feminicide” in the media. This contributes to better consideration of sexist and sexual violence. »

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