“Ms Dati, it is urgent to guarantee the independence of the editorial staff”, calls for a collective of journalists, media, unions and associations | EUROtoday

Lthe dismissal of the editorial director of Provence alerts us. Like, earlier than it, the disaster Sunday newspaper or that of Echoes, which has now lasted for nearly a 12 months. Attacks on editorial independence are repeated. Each time, consciousnesses get up, then return to sleep, and nothing modifications.

The future worries us in view of the reasons offered on March 19 to elected officers of the social and financial committee (CSE) of the Altice group by Rodolphe Saadé, new purchaser of the BFM-TV and RMC channels. How can we not be alarmed after we hear Mr. Saadé point out on this event that he doesn’t “would not react well” And “would make it known” if a scandal regarding his CMA CGM group was revealed in a media outlet of which he’s a shareholder, recalling that for him, if the data exists, “there is way and way” ?

Madam Minister, the one and solely solution to produce high quality, verified, sourced and trustworthy data is to ensure the independence of journalists and editorial employees.

Journalists will not be supposed to serve the non-public, financial or political pursuits of the shareholders of their media. They will not be there to serve a political agenda, or the federal government's communications technique.

When their independence is threatened or violated, it isn’t the pursuits of a company which can be affected, however the public debate, and due to this fact the overall curiosity. If we don’t assure residents entry to pluralistic, high quality data, then we’re weakening democratic life.

You affirmed, on March 21, throughout your listening to earlier than the fee of inquiry into broadcasting authorizations on TNT, that the regulation sufficiently assured this independence. The dismissal of the editorial director of Provence the following day, lifted on Monday March 25 following an editorial strike, demonstrated the other. And a parliamentary mission has simply highlighted the quite a few gaps and weaknesses of the present laws (Bloche regulation of 2016). You can't ignore it.

The proper to object and task clauses are important, however they don’t seem to be ample. They permit journalists to guard themselves individually and to have an emergency exit within the occasion of disagreement. But what turns into of the citizen reader, listener, as soon as the journalists have left and the shareholder has all the ability? What sort of data do they encounter? Do we assure their proper to free and knowledgeable data?

The political agenda affords you a chance to behave concretely and instantly. A transpartisan invoice, tabled greater than six months in the past to guard the editorial freedom of the media, has lastly been included on the parliamentary agenda. After an examination in committee, the textual content shall be debated on April 4.

If a number of dozen amendments have already been tabled, none come from the federal government, which stands out for its lack of funding on this textual content. However, the proposed regulation, which intends to offer journalists the fitting to approve the appointment of the editorial supervisor, is a crucial first step in direction of strengthening the independence of editorial workplaces.

Other measures must comply with. The States General of the Independent Press formulated, in November 2023, “59 proposals to free information” which define an bold reform of the press. But the least we will do is take this primary step, by supporting this invoice.

We insist, it’s about defending and defending the overall curiosity.

For this, we, associations of residents and journalists, and impartial media, who’re main this struggle, ask you to strengthen the regulation to ensure the independence of editorial employees.

Call initiated by the Article 34, Un Bout des Médias, Fund for a Free Press and Sherpa associations.

Signatures:

Societies of journalists (SDJ) and editors (SDR) from Agence France-Presse, Freeze frames, Arte, BFM-TV, Blast, Challenges, International mail, Elle, Epsiloon, France 24, France 3 nationwide editorial employees, Franceinfo.fr, FranceinfoTV, La Tribune, La Vie, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Les Echos, L'Express, Le Point, L'Humanité, Libération, L'Informed, Le Nouvel Obs, Le Parisien – Today in France, L'Usine nouvelle, M6, Marianne, Mediapart, Front traces, Public Senate, Radio France, nationwide editorial employees France Télévisions, RFI, RMC, RTL, “Sept to eight”, Telerama.

The media Disclose, Forbidden Stories, Mediapart, Mediacités, Le Courrier des Balkans, Grand Format, Au Poste, Rue89 Bordeaux, Rue89 Lyon, Rue89 Strasbourg, Reflets information, Off Investigation, Journal Le Crestois, L'Arrière-Cour, Chabe, Mediavivant, Politis , We Report, Splann!, Africa XXI.

Unions, collectives, associations: CFDT-Journalists, National Union of Journalists (SNJ), National Union of Journalists CGT (SNJ-CGT), FILPAC-CGT, Informing will not be an offense (INPD).