In a short press release on Thursday, TV5 Monde* announced that it had ended its collaboration with Françoise Joly, director of information for the channel since July 1, 2019 due to “strategic differences”.
Since the launch last May by the Ministry of Culture of an unexpected call for applications for the appointment of its next president and CEO, TV Monde has been going through an uncertain period. She thus recorded the resignation of Yves Bigot in office since 2012 and whose mandate would not have been renewed. While his departure is announced for June 30, TV5 Monde has announced that the secretary general of France Télévisions, Christophe Tardieu, will act as interim head of the channel from July 1 pending the appointment of a new leader.
In the meantime, the TV5 Monde journalists’ society (SDJ), which reformed in March after a five-year absence, deplored in a press release « the sad spectacle offered » according to her by the channel « these last months »in response in particular to the dismissal procedure targeting Françoise Joly. In November, the editorial staff was shaken by a press release from management dissociating itself from journalist Mohamed Kaci after a tense interview with an Israeli spokesperson. Included in the 2025-2028 strategic plan, the possible entry of seven African countries (Benin, Gabon, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo-Brazzaville) into the channel’s capital also raises internal concerns regarding freedom of the press, according to several media outlets. On June 6, the SDJ and the CEO of TV5 Monde signed a charter on editorial independence and editorial ethics, “prerequisite
essential to any discussion on the entry of new countries into the channel’s Board of Directors”, according to the SDJ.
Between 2017 and 2019, Françoise Joly was editor-in-chief and presenter of the magazine “Internationales” on TV5 Monde. She began her career at Radio France before joining France 2 as a reporter in the economics and social department, then as a senior foreign policy reporter. In 1994, she was entrusted with the management of the channel’s foreign policy department before being promoted, in 2000, to the management and presentation of the major reporting magazine “Envoyé Spécial”, alongside Guilaine Chenu. Since October 2023, she has been president of the Centre de formation des journalistes (CFJ).
*: TV5 Monde is 46.42% owned by France Télévisions and 11.97% by France Médias Monde. The Belgian RTBF and the Swiss SSR each hold 10.53%, Radio-Canada 6.32%, TVMonaco 5.26%, Télé Québec 4.21%, Arte France 3.12% and INA 1.65%. .
