The complaint against RTL info concerning the mayors’ 48 hours is deemed unfounded

The Council of Journalistic Ethics (CDJ) rendered a favorable decision to RTL info on January 15, 2025, finding that the program “Les 48h des bourgmestres”, broadcast as part of the municipal elections, respected journalistic ethics. The complaint, relating to an alleged imbalance in the representation of political parties, was deemed unfounded.

On January 15, 2025, the Council of Journalistic Ethics (CDJ) took the decision to reject a complaint made against RTL info concerning its program The 48 hours of mayors (watch all interviews). This program, broadcast live on RTL play and RTL info during the municipal election campaign in October 2024, consisted of a series of interviews with outgoing mayors of Walloon and Brussels municipalities, carried out over a period of 48 hours. The complaint is linked to an investigation file opened by the CSA (Higher Audiovisual Council), reporting an alleged violation of ethical principles, particularly with regard to the balance and representativeness of political parties.

The Council for Journalistic Ethics found that the program complied with journalistic ethics and the Recommendation on the coverage of electoral campaigns in the media. The CDJ considered that this general information format, devoted to the assessment of all outgoing Walloon and Brussels mayors, had taken care to guarantee the public complete and contradictory informationwithout favorable bias or possible complacency towards the people interviewed.

Emphasizing fairness in selection and treatment methods journalistic work of the guests, as well as the framing work of the journalists, he considered that the latter had given themselves the means to treat the political news of the electoral campaign in a manner relevant to the public, without partiality, automatic exclusion or automatic right to speak.

He finally noted that the media had shown during 48 hours of broadcast an image consistent with electoral representation resulting from the last municipal elections, thereby ensuring, in view of the editorial angle chosen and the local context in which it took place, the balance as defined by the editorial staff in its electoral system, to which the media had adopted thus engaged.

The full decision can be consulted on the CDJ website.

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