The government has created a "Desinfox Coronavirus" page listing press articles on its website, which it justifies by the need to combat "the proliferation" of "false information" on the health crisis. In a joint letter, around thirty SDJs and SDRs from the media denounce this initiative. 

INTERVIEW

The initiative does not pass. By creating a "Desinfox Coronavirus" page, listing press articles on its website, which it justifies by the need to combat "fake news" on the health crisis, the executive has drawn criticism from a large part of the press world. If government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye assured that this page was "intended to be deleted once the crisis is over", around thirty journalist companies (SDJ) and editorial companies (SDR) have come together to write a forum published in Le Monde , entitled "The State is not the arbiter of information".

Monday guest of Culture- Médias d'Europe 1, Stéphane Durand-Soufflant, forensic journalist at Le Figaro , a media member among the signatories, believes that the government's process is "not at all respectful of freedom and independence of the press. " 

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"Journalists are independent of political powers," he recalls in the preamble. "What shocks us is to see that the government picks up on this in a completely arbitrary manner and makes its little roll of honor for good publications, without actually asking the media's permission." Furthermore, he adds, this process "suggests that the other items are not reliable". 

"We don't need the government to sort"

"This does not seem to us at all respectful of the freedom and independence of the press, and it is extremely unwelcome on the part of a government whose communication is extremely muddy ', continues Stéphane Durand-Soufflant, who recalls that in democracy, the interest, "is to have multiple sources".

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"If we want the government voice, we go to the government site, he still gets annoyed. We don't need the government to sort it out. Or it can link to all the newspapers ! ". And to conclude: "We do not need a state honor roll. We are doing a very disservice to the titles by suggesting that some are more in court than others".