“A” on Macron in Marseille: strike at the newspaper “La Provence” after the dismissal of the editorial director
The editorial director of the French regional daily
La Provence
was fired after an article deemed “
ambiguous
” by the newspaper on the visit of President Emmanuel Macron to Marseille as part of the fight against drug trafficking. In response, journalists voted 79% on Friday March 22 for an indefinite strike, denouncing “
inadmissible editorial interference
”.
A cyclist passes in front of the headquarters of the French regional daily La Provence, in Marseille, southeastern France, on February 15, 2022. © Christophe Simon / AFP
By: RFI with AFP
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The newspaper, owned by the shipowner CMA CGM, will not appear from Saturday March 23. “
This is unacceptable editorial interference, we cannot let this happen
,” reacted to AFP Audrey Letellier, union representative of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ), the majority in the editorial staff. The union denounces “
political pressure
”.
The dismissal of the editorial director follows the publication on Thursday March 21 of a headline: “
He is gone and we are still here
…”, on the front page. It was accompanied by a photo showing two people, from behind, watching police officers pass by on patrol in a city, 48 hours
after the president's surprise visit Tuesday
to the Mediterranean city. He was there to launch an operation described as “
unprecedented
” against drug trafficking.
Following this publication, editorial director Aurélien Viers was laid off for a week, management indicated, confirming information from the majority SNJ union in the company. The union also mentions a summons for an interview prior to dismissal, which is the rule in this area, without prejudging the outcome.
🔴 Macron in Marseille: "He left and we are still here...", La Castellane, the day after 👉 https://t.co/9KW0CYGXhzhttps://t.co/9KW0CYGXhz
— La Provence (@laprovence) March 21, 2024
One that “
misleads
”, for management
In an insert “
To our readers
” published Friday on the front page of the newspaper, the publication director, Gabriel d'Harcourt, presents the newspaper's “
deepest apologies
” following this publication, which “
misled our readers
”.
“
This front page quote and the accompanying photo illustration may have led people to believe that we were complacently giving voice to drug traffickers determined to taunt public authority, which in no way reflects the values and editorial line from your newspaper
,” he wrote.
On the inside pages, in one of the articles on the
aftermath of the presidential visit
, this quote was attributed to an inhabitant of the impoverished town of Castellane: “
It’s funny,
” reacts Brahim, “
Tuesday they found all the necessary means to supervise the president's visit. He left, and we are still here, in the same trouble
.” Other articles mentioned the “
guerrilla war on the communications field
” between dealers and the Ministry of the Interior, or “
the backstage of an improvised presidential show
”.
“
The rest of the editorial treatment is very good
,” declared publishing director Gabriel d'Harcourt, confirming this layoff announced by the majority National Union of Journalists (SNJ). But even if the quote is correctly attributed on the inside page, “
the problem comes from the construction of the front page, which can lead to this interpretation
”. This in particular with a surtitle “
Narcotraffic: 24 hours after the president’s visit to Castellane
”, he added.
“
We have the impression that we are spokespersons for the dealers
”, which “
is contrary to our values and the role we want to play in Marseille and in the region
”, added Mr. d'Harcourt.
Read alsoThe regional daily press facing economic difficulties
“
Scandalized
” editorial staff
The decision “
scandalized the editorial staff
”, according to a representative of the SNJ. The strike was called to demand the lifting of sanctions against Mr. Viers, who arrived at the start of 2023 at the head of the editorial staff.
Judging the management's explanations to be “
surreal
”, this SNJ representative considered that it was a “
pretext
”. “
We know that yesterday
(Thursday)
there was political pressure and that Gabriel d'Harcourt was summoned to the tower
,” she told AFP, referring to the skyscraper of the Marseille headquarters of the shipowner CMA CGM, owner of the newspaper.
Questioned by AFP, Mr. d'Harcourt refuted any pressure. “
It’s a decision that I am taking, with Jean-Christophe Tortora
(boss of WhyNot Media, the media subsidiary of the shipowner CMA CGM)
and Laurent Guimier
(head of information at WhyNot Media),” he said. he says.
Acquisition of BFMTV and RMC
CMA CGM and its boss, billionaire Rodolphe Saadé, have expressed
great ambitions in the media
in recent years . His wife Véronique Albertini-Saadé is the non-executive president of WhyNot Media.
In October 2022, the shipowner became the owner of the La Provence group (regional daily newspapers
La Provence
and
Corse Matin
). He entered the capital of the audiovisual group M6 at the end of 2022, then, at the beginning of April 2023, that of the online video media Brut, before taking control of
La Tribune
via the purchase of the Hima group from Mr. Tortora. And on Friday March 15, he announced the acquisition of Altice Media, which includes BFMTV and RMC.
This layoff comes a few days after Rodolphe Saadé's attempt to reassure the staff representatives of BFMTV and RMC. He affirmed his desire not to directly interfere in the work of the editorial staff. Thus, this sanction caused the Altice Media unions to react. They indicated that they were in contact with their counterparts from
La Provence
and
La Tribune
for possible joint action. “
We are all obviously scandalized
,” Paulina Benavente, SNJ union representative at Altice Media, explained to AFP. An AGM was planned at
La Tribune
on Friday, according to an editorial source.
Read also Faced with gangs in Marseille, “we cannot limit ourselves to one-off operations”
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