Public audiovisual: last skirmishes to shut 4 months of fee | EUROtoday

End clap. The fee of inquiry into public broadcasting ended on Wednesday April 8 with last clashes between the boss of France Télévisions, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, and the UDR deputy Charles Alloncle, whose report in a fortnight’s time dangers making new waves.

This was the final of the 67 hearings of this fee on “neutrality” and “financing” of public broadcasting, the work of which has been punctuated by quite a few incidents since their launch on the finish of November.

And, with out deviating from the rule, the tone shortly hardened between Delphine Ernotte Cunci, who got here for the second time to answer the deputies, and the rapporteur Charles Alloncle, with regards to the price of the general public firm, which employs 9,000 staff and broadcasts its packages on 5 channels.

To spotlight her administration efforts, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, who’s serving her third mandate, affirmed that France Télévisions “costs 600 million [d’euros] less [par an] than ten years ago” by counting inflation, due to reductions in state allocations. Opposite, the Ciottiste deputy tirelessly repeated that this allocation increased by 136 million between 2015 and 2024.

“Sorry for being so direct, Mr. Rapporteur, but what you say is absolutely false,” stated Delphine Ernotte Cunci. Then, visibly aggravated: “Sorry, however I discover this course of very manipulative… You are mixing turnover and public funding… You are including two experiences from the Court of Auditors with out specifying it.”

The exchange ended with a finding of disagreement, like the misunderstandings which dominated the discussions between Charles Alloncle and some of the 234 people interviewed, such as the host Nagui, or the media man and billionaire Xavier Niel, who denounced his “lies”.

“Incessant attacks”

Since the launch of this commission, created by the UDR of Eric Ciotti, allied to the RN, Charles Alloncle has attracted criticism for his methods described as “inquisitorial”, but he has achieved great success with those who consider public broadcasting as too expensive and biased in favor of the left, in particular by publishing on X numerous selected extracts from the work.

The UDR deputy believes that his work has made it possible to discover “a system of mismanagement that’s largely assumed” in the 4 billion euros annually that the State distributes to public channels and radio stations. He also denounces a “system of castes and privileges”, opacity and conflicts of interest in the awarding of France Télévisions contracts to production companies.

The work was launched after the controversy triggered by a video showing journalists Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen in private discussion with PS officials, the content of which fueled accusations of bias in public broadcasting in favor of the left, particularly in the media which are in the fold of conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré.

Possible bill

“This fee made it doable to spotlight shortcomings and dysfunctions. (…) But it additionally reminded, if crucial, the significance in our nation of getting a robust public audiovisual sector within the face of competitors from platforms and social networks”, underlined its president, Jérémie Patrier-Leitus (Horizons).

Public broadcasting “guarantees every citizen access to reliable information, in an environment that has become complex and uncertain,” defended Delphine Ernotte Cunci.

The employees of France Télévisions “needed to endure for weeks incessant assaults from the rapporteur on their work and their skilled ethics”, lamented MP Belkhir Belhaddad (Socialists and Related), denouncing “a political column relayed on CNews”.

From now on, Charles Alloncle has around two weeks to draw up his conclusions and formulate his proposals for developments, particularly legislative ones. He mentioned the inclusion of a proposed law on public broadcasting on the agenda of the “area of interest” reserved for his group within the National Assembly, on June 25.

The 31 parliamentarians who make up the fee will vote on April 27 for or in opposition to the publication of the report. In the occasion of a adverse vote, a uncommon state of affairs, all the work, together with the listening to experiences and paperwork transmitted, couldn’t be made public within the identify of the fee of inquiry.

With AFP