For having called for a “common front against the far right”, five journalists from France 3 national edition are withdrawn until the end of the legislative campaign. The Society of Journalists of France Télévisions subsequently affirmed that the role of its members was not to call for votes for “such and such a party”.
Duty of neutrality. Five journalists from the editorial team were “indented” until July 8 by their management, for having signed a forum calling for “common front against the extreme right”. These five journalists “no longer deal with subjects that cover the campaign” electoral, but they “are on the schedule”specified France TV, which criticizes them for not having complied with the guide to professional practices advocating political neutrality.
On Wednesday, these five members who claim to be from the Society of Journalists (SDJ) of France 3 national editorial staff, had signed, as such, a forum for 90 media, including Mediapart or Humanity. This forum called for «front commun» against the extreme right which threatens, according to the signatories, “freedom of press”. The signatories undertook “through our editorial initiatives, and without ever renouncing our critical outlook, to support the ongoing social and citizen mobilization, which echoes the anti-fascist dynamic of the Popular Front of 1936 in its capacity to go beyond partisan frameworks. We consider that it alone is capable of preventing the RN from coming to power on July 7.”
“The image of impartiality of the France Télévisions editorial staff is at stake”
“This call to vote proves incompatible with the treatment of the electoral campaign on all France Télévisions media”the interested parties are notified, according to the letter from management of which AFP has had a copy. “The image of impartiality of the France Télévisions editorial staff is at stake”adds the mail.
Joined by ReleaseCarine Fouteau, publishing director of MediapartExpress “all his support” to the five journalists. “It is paradoxical and worrying, while the RN is at the gates of power, that they were sanctioned while expressing their attachment to freedom of the press”, she writes. For Carine Fouteau, this text “includes our media in the ongoing social and citizen mobilization” more “at a distance from the parties”.
The management of France Télévisions specifies for its part that the SDJ of France 3 national editorial staff is no longer representative since the merger of the editorial staff. The SDJ of the national editorial staff of France Télévisions, which brings together journalists from France 2 and France 3, had also indicated, on the social networkbeen requested”but not having wished “sign this platform”. She also considers that her role is not to call for people to “vote for this or that party”.
The future of France Télévision is one of the issues of this electoral campaign. The far right wants to privatize public broadcasting when the current government had planned to merge public television and radio.
