The Lagardère group, owner of the JDD, remains inflexible despite an unprecedented strike that lasted more than a month by journalists: Geoffroy Lejeune (ex-Valeurs Actunaires) “will take over the effective management of the newsroom” from August 1. Lagardère News regretted Monday night, in a press release, “the position of the Society of Journalists (SDJ), which does not seem to have taken into account the proposed openings” and “led to a breakdown in negotiations, which harms both journalists and readers of the Sunday newspaper“.
The announcement of the date of the effective arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, marked on the far right, coincides with the wording of the JDD He massively renewed his strike against the arrival at his head of this journalist until Tuesday morning. “Certainly, it’s scary to see so much blindness, but let’s be aware that this is still a maneuver to divide us, to try to attack our resolve,” a striking journalist who wished to remain anonymous told AFP. This same striker “does not believe” that the leadership of the JDD will be able to divide the opponents upon the arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune with this strategy.
“Far-Right Ghost”
Arnaud Lagardère, head of the group that owns the JDD, “deplored” on Monday “this outcome” – the breakdown of the negotiations, attributed to the SDJ – in the same press release. “I repeat, we will not JDD an ideological pamphlet or a militant newspaper”, he assures. “This far-right fantasy is unfounded and contemptuous. The JDD will continue to be a publication of general information, for the general public and open to all currents of thought”, he concludes.
For its part, the editorial staff of the Sunday weekly had underlined its “impeccable mobilization” in the face of a “total break with the identity of a 75-year-old newspaper”, early Saturday afternoon, at the time of the resumption of the strike until Tuesday. The editorial staff reiterated their demands, remaining opposed to the arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune and demanding guarantees of legal and editorial independence.
Record Duration
Supporting Eric Zemmour in the presidential elections, Geoffroy Lejeune, 34, will succeed Jérôme Béglé, expected on August 1 at the helm of Paris Match. He has not yet been able to meet the newsroom, or see how it works. Many observers see in his appointment the hand of billionaire Vincent Bolloré, whose Vivendi group must swallow Lagardère, owner of the JDDParis Match and Europe 1, following a successful takeover bid.
The current movement is unprecedented in the history of the JDD: its previous strike, in 2016, had affected only one Sunday. Five weekends have already passed since the newspaper appeared. The situation of the JDD is thus reminiscent of the strikes in Europe 1 in 2021 and in i-Télé (now CNews, owned by Vivendi) in 2016, each time ending with mass walkouts. Enough to put the issue of media independence back on the political agenda.
Deputies from eight political groups (excluding RN and LR) presented this Wednesday, in particular, a bill on the subject, while the Elysee formalized the implementation in September of the General Information States, scheduled for one year.
500,000 euros of losses for each non-publication
The cost of the strike is already weighing heavily on the JDD: each non-appearance of the newspaper would mean losses of 500,000 euros, according to a figure revealed by the newspaper The world and mentioned by “a member of the publicity department at the beginning of the mobilization,” JDD journalist Guillaume Caire told AFP on Friday.
In a statement, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) recalled on Monday that the strike in JDD it was one “of the longest” in the history of the French media since 1975. “This record duration is proportional to the attack on the values of journalism. I salute the determination and courage of the journalists of the JDD who refuse to be eaten alive,” said Christophe Deloire, RSF secretary general.
Source: BFM TV
