story of a scoop put under cover

Bernard Arnault's magazine has exclusively published photos of the renovated Notre-Dame Cathedral. But the magazine was not present online or on any digital newsstands on the day of its release, so as not to further offend the president.

In journalistic language, we call that a scoop. Eight photos of renovated Notre-Dame, world exclusive, on the glossy paper of “Paris Match”. The quality is not exceptional, the image dark and the pixels a little too present, but these are the first images of the famous cathedral, victim of a fire in April 2019. On the front page, the magazine announces it : “Photos of the interior of the cathedral. » As a supertitle, this formula in capital letters: ” EXCLUSIVE. »

However, don't look for a trace of this historic number on social networks. Contrary to its usual, “Paris Match” did not announce the coverage of the week on the X platforms or Instagram, this Wednesday evening, between 6 and 7 p.m. It has also not made the digital PDF version of the title available on the website, nor on online kiosks. No photos on the site, nor articles. Thursday, release day of the weekly, still nothing. In place of the “Paris Match” number on Notre-Dame, the smile and salt-and-pepper hair of Olivier Kersauson, the star navigator of the November 21 issue, seem frozen forever. An unprecedented phenomenon for a press title, which thus renounces communicating on a preview, and deprives itself for 48 hours of all its digital readers. The paper issue is, however, available from newsagents. The sign of a decision taken in a hurry, when it was too late to block the publication of the paper? ” No way, swears the general director of the title Jérôme Béglé. I took the initiative of publishing these photos in the newspaper, but I decided in advance to respect the embargo on social networks. We will put the PDF online at noon Friday, the time of the president's visit. » The leader only confesses to having received “ feedback which took into account the surprise shown by the Elysée” on the part of Jean-Charles Tréhan, the representative of the shareholder LVMH.

“Let’s say they stole the start”

Did Bernard Arnault's emissaries order him not to further stir up discontent at the Elysée? Jérôme Béglé swears he made this choice alone, and prefers to talk about “astonishment” of Emmanuel Macron, rather than presidential anger. “Let’s say they stole the start”whispers a collaborator of the president, not willing to provide more details on the exchanges behind the scenes. It's a secret, but the tenant of the Elysée did not appreciate seeing his politeness grilled, over a precise event to which he attaches particular care, after having himself given the impetus for a rapid reconstruction in five years. Certainly Bernard Arnault generously contributed to financing the work on the cathedral. But that the leak came from a title now possessed by a man decorated by him in March with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, and always received as a head of state at the Elysée, surprised his surroundings. And to think that we thought that the purchase of the magazine (a little over 100 million euros, or more than fifteen times its gross operating surplus) obtained at the end of long months of negotiations with the reactionary billionaire Vincent Bolloré , would allow Emmanuel Macron to be better treated by this title so popular with politicians…

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“The real revelation of the work is tomorrow”we insisted Thursday in the president's office. This Friday, November 29, the President of the Republic visits the building, in preview and live on television, in an orchestrated scenography. A precious opportunity, for Emmanuel Macron, to capture a little of the light shed on the monument, which has become rarer since the arrival of Michel Barnier at Matignon. In the absence of “Paris Match”, the president can at least reassure himself. To support the reopening of the cathedral, the diocese of Paris chose Publicis, the communications agency headed by a faithful, its former special advisor Clément Leonarduzzi. A relative who, in recent weeks, was surveying certain journalists to find out if they did not want to be hired… at “Paris Match”.