On the fifth day of the strike, and despite successive meetings with management during the day, appeasement was not yet in order, Tuesday, June 27, at Sunday newspaper (JDD). “For us, it is inconceivable that we find ourselves facing Geoffroy Lejeune. For the management, his appointment is irrevocable. We have therefore acted on the deadlock situation.explains a journalist from the weekly who wishes to remain anonymous.
Since the editorial staff learned through information from the WorldThursday, June 21, that the former managing editor of Current values Geoffroy Lejeune was going to be named at its head, she made the abandonment of this project a prerequisite for any discussion.
In the afternoon, Constance Benqué, the president of Lagardère News (JDD, Paris MatchEurope 1, etc.), proposed to the members of the Society of Journalists (SDJ) and to the elected representatives of the Social and Economic Committee (CSE) that the journalist close to Eric Zemmour quickly present his editorial project to the employees of the JDD, so that they judge it on piece. A vote should be organized on this subject on Wednesday morning, during which the renewal of the strike could be decided.
The first, around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Arnaud Lagardère appeared at the editorial office to defend “ [sa] decision “ to appoint Geoffroy Lejeune, as he repeated several times during an exchange “tense but courteous” about fifty minutes. Repeating what he had said the day before in an interview with Figarothe CEO of the group that bears his name, bought by Vivendi (owned by the Bolloré family), defended a “economic choice, not ideological” – even though sales of Current values are down and advertising revenues are at half mast.
An air of deja vu
“We know it’s a huge lie”, criticizes a journalist who, like all of her colleagues, requests anonymity. Everyone reads in this sulphurous nomination a choice of Vincent Bolloré impossible to assume as such: while the European Commission has just given, under conditions, its imprimatur to Vivendi’s takeover bid for Lagardère, proof that Mr. Bolloré would have started to act as owner exposes his group to a heavy fine, which can go up to 10% of its turnover – an investigation is underway.
“The editorial line is not set to change, but we will have to adapt (…) Geoffroy Lejeune will no longer display his closeness to Eric Zemmour as soon as he is on the newspaper »continued Arnaud Lagardère, uncomfortable and multiplying the slips, without convincing. “He spoke of ‘iconic investigations’ and ‘journalism’s rough diamond'”, but Mr. Lagardère “was absolutely incapable of quoting an article by Mr. Lejeune”laments an editor. “We see that he does not control what he is talking about”responds another.
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