Quentin Bataillon, president of the fee of inquiry on TNT, referred to as for “reserve” and “discernment” after his look in “TPMP” | EUROtoday

His presence on the present “Touche pas à mon poste” (TPMP) rapidly sparked harsh feedback. The majority deputy Quentin Bataillon, president of the fee of inquiry into the frequencies of digital terrestrial tv (TNT), went, Tuesday April 2, to take inventory of his work on the set of host Cyril Hanouna, who was himself interviewed by this fee.

An intervention criticized the subsequent day at noon by the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, who, in a press launch, “kept to remind” that “as long as the conclusions of a commission of inquiry are not made public (…) its president as well as its rapporteur and its members must show reserve and discernment in their positions and their public expressions, in order to guarantee the serenity of the work and the credibility of the investigations “.

One sequence is particularly commented on: during the broadcast, Mr. Bataillon scratches a host competing with Mr. Hanouna, Yann Barthès, who was also heard by the commission: “I think it was the first time I got angry, he had a pretty arrogant attitude from the start, he refused to answer our questions”, he described in regards to the presenter of the present “Quotidien” on TMC. The first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, tackled Mr. Bataillon on his own arrogance“go to Hanouna to spit on Barthès while chairing a commission of inquiry into TNT”.

Mr. Faure then asked that Mr. Bataillon be “removal of duties”arguing that he “participated in the discrediting of the Assembly”. Manuel Bompard, the national coordinator of La France insoumise (LFI), also requested the resignation of Mr. Bataillon from the presidency of the commission, believing that he “covers Hanouna, although widely sanctioned by Arcom”.

“Experimental approach”

In “TPMP”, broadcast on the C8 channel, Mr. Bataillon attempted to do educational work on the subject of the work of the commission, which was launched by LFI deputies in the fall of 2023 to shed light on the attribution TNT frequencies, including those of C8 and CNews, brought back into play this year. Its rapporteur, the “rebel” Aurélien Saintoul, will write his report ” alone “ by the beginning of May, and “I imagine he will be marked”said the elected representative of the presidential majority, wishing “get out of the witch hunt, the hunt for presenters, journalists, channels”.

“We need to make recommendations on the framework” of the choice of frequency holders, he said. “We don’t go into people’s homes to tell them what is good and what is bad” And, “sometimes, the contempt that some people may have for your show is transferred to those who watch it”argued the parliamentarian.

“I have done everything to keep relations as cordial as possible” with Mr. Saintoul, added Mr. Bataillon, while relations became strained over the course of the hearings, from that of Vincent Bolloré, billionaire who controls the Canal+ group, including C8, to that of the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati .

Aurélien Saintoul was ironic about the presence of Mr. Bataillon in “TPMP”: “Thank you for your experimental approach to move the commission of inquiry forward”he wrote on the social network. “Don’t forget to check if we can now name or even criticize V. Bolloré in “TPMP” without risking being attacked by C. Hanouna”, he added in reference to an episode of November 2022 where LFI deputy Louis Boyard, guest on the show, was insulted live. This resulted in a record fine of 3.5 million euros for C8.