The editorial staff of the JDD noted on Tuesday the failure of its historic strike, which began on June 22 against the arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, a journalist marked on the far right, who has just taken over as head of the weekly (AFP/Archives/Martin HARE)
New era for the JDD: after a historic strike of forty days and departures which promise to be massive, the JDD version of Geoffroy Lejeune, a journalist marked on the far right, was published overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
This first surprise edition, because until then announced for mid-August, was available shortly after midnight on the newspaper’s platform, AFP noted. “You were waiting for it, here it is” published on X (ex-Twitter) the weekly, referring to its front page. The last edition dated back to June 22.
This is a 32-page issue (20 less than the last edition), the front page of which is devoted to insecurity and justice after the death of a 15-year-old boy stabbed to death. July 22 in the Eure.
The new Secretary of State for the City, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, is the first member of the government to grant an interview to the JDD Lejeune version.
This issue was produced mainly by outside journalists, with few members of the outgoing editorial staff involved, as for the website whose activity had already resumed this week, powered by the 6Médias press agency.
We find there the signatures of Charlotte d’Ornellas and Raphaël Stainville (former of Valeurs Actuelles, like Geoffroy Lejeune), Pascal Praud, journalist for Europe 1 and CNews, Jacques Vendroux, for sport, or Eric Naulleau (ex-companion debate by Eric Zemmour, whom Lejeune supported in the presidential election).
The situation at the JDD has revived the debate on the concentration of the media in the hands of a few large private groups and the legislation governing their operation. Conditioning of aid to the press, strengthening of the power of editorial staff vis-à-vis shareholders: several avenues have been mentioned but none has so far achieved consensus.
– “Every reason to worry” –
In an interview with Ouest France on Saturday, the Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak believes that “there is every reason to worry in view of what happened to Valeurs Actuelles which, let us remember, was sentenced for incitement to racial hatred”.
While recalling that “the opinion press has the right to exist in France, this is part of the pluralism of the press, so we can neither constrain the freedom of the press, nor constrain the freedom of enterprise”.
Journalist Geoffroy Lejeune, September 28, 2020 in Paris (AFP/Archives/JOEL SAGET)
The subject will be on the menu in September of the States General of Information announced by the Elysée.
In addition, according to information from Marianne, Rodolphe Saadé, boss of the shipowner CMA CGM and owner of the Marseilles daily La Provence, the economic site La Tribune and the Brut video platform, is working to launch at the end of the year a new general-interest national daily distributed on weekends, like the JDD.
Asked by AFP, the group declined to comment.
On Tuesday, an agreement was reached between the strikers and the management of the Lagardère group, owner of the JDD, ending the historic strike of the editorial staff, which had refused since June 22 to be led by Geoffroy Lejeune.
This agreement provided for a gradual resumption of activity as well as the establishment of support conditions for journalists who wish to leave the editorial office. Many of them had let it be known that they would not stay.
Geoffroy Lejeune, 34, sparked several controversies, in particular when the weekly Valeurs Actuelles, then under his direction, was sentenced to a suspended fine of 1,000 euros for public insult of a racist nature against LFI deputy Danièle Obono.
Even if Arnaud Lagardère, the boss of the group, denies it, many observers see in this appointment the hand of billionaire Vincent Bolloré, with opinions deemed ultra-conservative.
Vivendi, Mr. Bolloré’s group owning Canal+ and its channels (including CNews and C8), is indeed in the process of absorbing Lagardère, owner of JDD, Paris Match and Europe 1, after a successful takeover bid .
This tycoon with reputedly very conservative opinions has built a media empire, triggering strikes and departures in the newsrooms over the course of his acquisitions: takeover of the Canal+ group, transformation of iTELE into CNews, takeover in 2021 of Prisma Media, the first magazine press group in France, and recently, absorption of the Lagardère group, owner of Europe 1, Paris Match and JDD, all reorganized.
© 2023 AFP
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