The editorial staff of the JDD is on strike for 16 days against the appointment of far-right editor Geoffroy Lejeune (ex-Valeurs Actuelles). In an open letter, they call on Emmanuel Macron to “seize as soon as possible” questions of independence of the press.
“Many personalities and organisations have publicly shown their support for us”, recalls the editorial staff in this open letter, published by the daily newspaper Ouest-France.
“But with the exception of a few rare expressions from ministers, discretion has prevailed on the side of the executive, which thus seems to endorse this new blow to the independence of the media”, she believes, fearing “to die in the silence”.
[À NOS LECTEURS]
— Le JDD (@leJDD) July 7, 2023
Un mouvement de grève au sein du « Journal du dimanche » nous empêche de publier votre édition du 9 juillet 2023 dans sa version numérique comme dans sa version papier.https://t.co/53UesjmLmc
Arnaud Lagardère, the head of the group that owns the Journal du Dimanche (JDD), denies it, but many observers see in the appointment of Mr. Lejeune, a journalist marked on the far right, the hand of billionaire Vincent Bolloré, with opinions deemed ultra- conservative.
The nomination of Lejeune came just after the green light given under conditions by Brussels to Vivendi, the group of Mr. Bolloré, to buy the Lagardère group, owning the magazine Paris Match, the radio station Europe 1, publishing giant Hachette, and others.
The JDD editorial association said in a statement that "under Geoffroy Lejeune, Valeurs Actuelles spread hateful attacks and fake news. We refuse that the JDD follows this path."
The renewal of the strike was widely adopted on Saturday, 90 for, 3 against, 8 who did not decide), until Tuesday 9:30 a.m., according to the Society of Journalists (SDJ) of the title.
“Information is not a commodity like the others”, wrote in its letter the editorial staff of the JDD, insisting on the “urgency” to guarantee “the editorial independence and impartial information”.
They ask President Macron to “seize this question as quickly as possible. First by taking a public position on this decisive question, then by changing the legal framework”.
Waiting for political support
Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak received a delegation of JDD journalists last week, a few days after expressing her deep concern for “republican values” on Twitter.
Yet, Olivier Véran, spokesperson for the government, on June 27 at the National Assembly, declared that “it is not up to the State today to interfere in the choice of a drafting of the private domain.”
The length of the strike movement is unprecedented; the previous strike of 2016 had affected only one Sunday of publication.
This is the third Sunday with no JDD in France.
A strike fund was opened to support the paper, and a petition was launched, collecting more than 38,600 signatures on Saturday.
The NGO Reporters without Borders (RSF) expressed its worries, and published a report Bolloré's constant attacks against free press in 2021.
"Bolloré is a specialist in taking an axe to media that he buys," Christophe Deloire, secretary general of RSF, wrote on Twitter. "He is a businessman who bullies his media employees and could destabilise the sector."
(with AFP)
