Founded in 1985 by Robert Ménard, Reporter Without Borders never lets up. The association decided to take the case to the Council of State following Arcom’s inaction against Eutelsat. The latter is one of the largest satellite broadcasters in the world and therefore broadcasts many channels across the globe. RSF had requested formal notice from Arcom for this company to suspend the broadcasting of three Russian television channels accused of “war propaganda” and stir up hatred against the Ukrainian people.
Rossiya 1, Perviy Kanal and NTV are distributed via the Russian bouquets NTV+ and Trikolor. The latter even suspended the broadcasting in Russia of channels “offering journalism worthy of the name”as RSF writes, such as the BBC, Euronews or France 24.
Reporters Without Borders had asked Arcom to suspend in turn, via a formal notice, the broadcasting of these channels in Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic countries. A request that Arcom refused at the end of September, declaring itself then incompetent and invoking an article of law on the freedom of the diffusion. A defense that Reporters Without Borders calls into question in its press release.
The association therefore filed a request before the Council of State on November 17, asking the administrative court to annul the opinion of Arcom. “Arcom’s refusal to take up a major issue to fight against propaganda and support journalism is very regrettable. RSF asks the Council of State to declare it illegal. In the era of hybrid warfare, should Eutelsat be among the new war profiteers? There is no worse blind than the one who does not want to see”protests Christophe Deloire, secretary general of RSF.