French Lawmakers Propose New Media Independence Law Amid Growing Debate Over Vincent Bolloré’s Influence

UPDATED with Vivendi response. French lawmakers are proposing new legislation aimed at protecting media independence amid growing concerns over big business interference and politicization in the sector in France.

The cross-party initiative has been prompted by an ongoing strike at Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche, or JDD, in protest at a move to install far-right journalist Geoffroy Lejeune as editor, by parent the Lagardère Group, which is currently in the process of being acquired by Vivendi.

The JDD journalists have rejected Lejeune’s appointment saying his values are out of whack with those of the newspaper. They are also calling for a guarantee of editorial independence.

The industrial action meant the newspaper did not publish for a fifth consecutive week on Sunday (July 24), the longest period it has been absent from newspaper racks in its 75-history.

Lejeune was previously editor of the far-right magazine Valeurs Actuelles and supporter of the extreme right 2022 presidential candidate Éric Zemmour as well as author of a novel about his imaginary election to the role.

Under the proposed media independence law, a publication’s access to state funding, which is a key source of financing for France’s press sector, would be tied to its journalists having the right to approve editor appointments. JDD received around $2.1 million (€1.9 million) in state aid in 2021.

In the broadcast sector, it would be tied to the granting of terrestrial TV and radio licenses.

“This is in reaction to what is going on at JDD but the general text is aimed at guaranteeing the rights of all journalists to give them a say on editor appointments,” deputy Sophie Taillé-Polian, who is spearheading the proposal, told Deadline.

Taillé-Polian, who is an Ecologist group member of the left wing NUPES coalition, says the proposal stands a strong chance of being brought before parliament and getting approval due to the fact it is supported by deputies from across the political spectrum.

Deputies from all the main parties, including President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance and Jean-Luc Mélenchon far left La France Insoumise, are involved in the initiative. The only party not represented is Marine Le Pen’s Far-Right National Rally.

The proposed law comes too late for the journalists at JDD. The earliest it can be put on the parliamentary agenda is early September following the parliament going into its summer recess over the weekend.

It would still be a significant step, with the JDD strike stoking a wider debate on the growing control of French media by private big business figures, and in particular tycoon Vincent Bolloré.

The announcement of Lejeune’s appointment was made just days after the European Commission approved Vivendi’s acquisition of the Lagardère Group, which also owns iconic magazine Paris Match and radio station Europe 1.

The green light is contingent on Vivendi selling publishing group Editis and magazine publisher Prisma Media, the titles of which include the celebrity-focused Gala. Vivendi has said it is confident it can conclude these sales by October 2023.

The timing of the Lejeune announcement has raised questions over the right-wing politicization of media outlets in the Vivendi group and fuelled a long-running debate over what role its biggest shareholder Bolloré is playing in this development.

Bolloré is no longer officially head of either the Bolloré Group, or its Vivendi subsidiary, having handed the management reins of the two groups over to his sons Yannick and Cyrille Bolloré respectively, on turning 70 in the spring of 2022.

But this has not stopped suggestions that he is behind the Lejeune push, even if Lagardère Group Managing Director Arnaud Lagardère told Le Figaro in an exclusive interview that the hire was his alone.

In answer to an emailed request from Deadline for a response to the suggestions that Bolloré was behind the Lejeune appointment, a Vivendi spokesman noted that the group will not have full control of Lagardère until the sales of Editis and Prisma are completed.

“Although Vivendi holds 57.35% of the Lagardère Group share capital following its friendly public tender offer, it only holds 22.45% of the voting rights until the full completion of these remedies. Until then, Vivendi does not control Lagardère Group,” he said.

“The decision to appoint Geoffroy Lejeune is therefore the sole responsibility of the Lagardère Group and I encourage you to contact them directly on the current controversy,” he added.

Veteran tycoon Bolloré has previously been credited with being behind the shift to the right of the Canal+ Group’s 24-hour news channel CNews (formerly known as i-Télé) and the talk shows of channel C8, in the wake of his taking control of parent company Vivendi from 2014 onwards.

Most the original i-Télé journalists left the channel or were let go following a failed strike in 2016 over the hiring of controversial presenter Jean-Marc Morandini, while he was under investigation for “corruption of minors”, for which he was later found guilty on two counts.

Today, the channel is regarded as France’s equivalent of Fox News, with Bolloré sometimes being described as the country’s Rupert Murdoch.

Education Minister Pap Ndiaye, who has since been replaced by Gabriel Attal in an unrelated cabinet shuffle, stoked the debate around Bolloré in mid-July when he came out in support of the JDD journalists in a radio interview.

He said he understood their concern given the political trajectory of other media outlets under Vivendi’s control, such as CNews.

“CNews is very clearly extreme right. I think it’s hurting democracy. There’s no doubt,” he said.

His comments unleashed a backlash on CNews as well as the social networks.

Right wing writer, politician and Puy du Fou theme park founder Philippe de Villiers referred to Ndiaye as the “Minister of Re-education” on Twitter and accused him of having a “secret plan to introduce Islamism and wokeism into schools”.

Bolloré for his part has always denied his move into the media and communication sectors is “political”.

He told a senate hearing in late 2022 that his move into the sector was purely economic.

“The media sector is the second most profitable sector after luxury goods… our interest isn’t political or ideological, it’s only economic,” he said.

According to a Forbes magazine report in April, Bolloré ranked as the world’s 189th richest person, and the eighth richest person in France with an estimated fortune of $10 billion at the time.

He developed Vivendi parent the Bolloré Group out of his family’s Brittany-based paper mill business, initially focusing on ultra-fine paper and plastic films before moving into transport logistics, manufacturing and then media and communications.

He first moved into the latter sector in 2004 when the Bolloré Group started buying up shares in communications group Havas to eventually take a 22.5% stake in an operation that would see him take control of the board.

In 2017, the group was sold to Vivendi, which Bolloré had also taken of control of in the interim. Alongside Havas other key Vivendi subsidiaries include the Canal+ Group and its films and TV production and distribution unit Studiocanal, as well as Lagardère Group.

Apart from Ndiaye, most government ministers have stayed away from passing comment on the JDD strike saying it is not their place to interfere with business or intervene in the way in which media outlets are run.

This in turn has prompted criticism from some left-wing newspapers who say that Ndiaye had been hung out to dry on this own.

President Emmanuel Macron has, however, announced the launch of a special forum (etats généraux) in September to discuss the state of information in an age of fake news, A.I. and changing financial and distribution models.

In the backdrop, while the European Commission gave the green light to the Vivendi-Lagardère deal back in June, there are reports that it is now investigating whether the partners jumped the gun in terms of setting their fusion in motion before getting approval.

If this were found to be the case, Vivendi would face a sizeable fine.

The Vivendi spokesman commented on this point: “Regarding allegations of gun jumping also mentioned in your report, it is not Vivendi’s policy to comment on current or, in this case, potential future investigations. Vivendi has strictly complied with the European rules and will continue to do so until the completion of the remedies [the Editis and Prisma sales].”

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