Printed media, radio stations, television channels, book publishers, communication groups, video game developers, polling organisations, venues… In just a few years, Vincent Bolloré has built up an invasive media empire to promote his reactionary ideological ambitions.
In the publishing industry alone, he will soon own more than 70 % of educational books ; 50 % of all new paperbacks ; almost one hundred publishing firms ; and hence he will have a near monopoly of the book distribution market.
This concentration of media ownership is unprecedented in French history. It negates democratic principles that have been guaranteed since World War II. The progress made regarding freedom of the press has been seriously hindered — in particular the right to impart information and protect media rights. The French public look on incredulously while a retrograde revolution is taking place and we must take urgent measures to counter it.
Since the liberation of France, information has not been considered a commercial product but, rather, a cultural tool. It is an accepted fact that the media can only fulfil its mission « in and through freedom », and that it is only free when it depends « neither on the power of the government nor on financial powers but on the conscience of journalists and readers alone » (Declaration of the Rights and Obligations of the Free Press, 1945).
An attack on pluralism
Today, this democratic tradition, which is essential to the rule of law, is in jeopardy. When one corporation concentrates and rules over such a large number of news and publishing companies, pluralism and debate become meaningless. When newsrooms and publishing houses are under this corporate control, the freedom of journalists and authors no longer exists. It makes no sense to talk about media independence when all these outlets are subjected to the will of one man.
When questioned by the senators, Vincent Bolloré claimed that his motives were not political but strictly economic. In truth, his media outlets deliver a sinister ideology on a daily basis.
An extreme example of this is the TV channel CNews on which debates give way to outrageous and abusive polemics, the choice of guests flouts pluralism and the editorial line is obsessed with far-right themes. The channel is becoming a platform for hate, racist, homophobic and sexist rhetoric ; a stage for chauvinistic businessmen to promote themselves ; a forum to advocate violence ; where conspiracy theories and climate denial are normalised ; and subsequently, a place where prejudice triumphs…
La suite est à lire sur: reporterre.net
Auteur: Reporterre
