CNews was put on formal notice on Saturday by the Superior Audiovisual Council (CSA) for not having respected its obligations in terms of political pluralism.
The CSA accuses the channel of having given too much voice to the candidate of the National Rally for the regional in Ile-de-France.
The CSA put the CNews channel on notice to respect its obligations in terms of pluralism, criticizing the Canal + group's news channel for having given too much voice to the candidate of the National Rally (RN) for the regional elections in Île-de-France. de-France, compared to other lists.
In a decision published Saturday in the official journal, the CSA noted that CNews had invited "nine times" from May 10 to 28 the head of the list of the National Rally in Paris for the regional.
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"Fair access to existing lists"
The channel said it had given the candidate only seven minutes of speaking time, while he spoke for an hour in total.
And "contrary to what the chain maintains", the CSA believes that the candidate RN has spoken "on major themes of the electoral campaign for the upcoming election in the Île-de-France region, such as the public safety ", including during sequences not counted by CNews.
Consequently the actual speaking time of the candidate reveals "imbalances with regard to the presentation and access to the air of the lists in the running (...) for the benefit of that supported by the National Gathering".
In addition, CNews told the CSA in early June of its intention "to make up time for [this] list", adds the regulator, which concludes that this can only increase "imbalances" to the detriment of other lists.
This is why the Superior council of audio-visual decided to put in residence the chain "to conform, in the future, to the provisions" as regards political pluralism, and in particular those applicable for the regional elections, which foresee a "equitable access to existing lists".
Asked by AFP, CNews declined to comment.
A fine of 200,000 euros last March
A formal notice constitutes a sort of warning and exposes CNews, in the event of a repeat offense, to a sanction which can range from a fine to a suspension of the broadcasting of a program, including a temporary deprivation of advertising.
This is not the first time that the audiovisual regulator has pinned the news channel of the Canal + group, a subsidiary of the Vivendi group controlled by businessman Vincent Bolloré.
In March, the CSA had fined CNews 200,000 euros for "incitement to hatred" and "violence" after comments by its star polemicist Eric Zemmour, on unaccompanied minor migrants.