It started on Thursday, was renewed this Saturday night and promises to last until at least Wednesday: this is the journalists’ strike at the French weekly Journal du Dimanche (J.D.), who are fighting against the appointment of Geoffroy Lejeune, formerValleurs currents (VA), as director of the newspaper.
For the editorial staff, the appointment of Lejeune, a man whose ideas are “in total contradiction with the values” from JDD, it is a “red line” that cannot be crossed.
The same is said by a group of journalists from 30 French newsrooms who support the strike: “The appointment of Lejeune, former editorial director of the far-right weekly Valeurs Actuelles, whose hateful content was condemned by the courts, is incompatible with the values that the Magazine has sustained for the past 75 years.
The leader of the Lagardère group, owner of JDD, has another reading: “Geoffroy is a raw talent in French journalism that we could not pass up,” argues Arnaud Lagardère in the press release in which he formalizes the hiring of Lejeune. A supporter of Eric Zemmour, the far-right candidate in last year’s French presidential election, Lejeune’s entrusted mission at the JDD, the same document reads, is “to embody journalistic excellence, namely: facts, investigation and duty to inform”. “.
It turns out that, despite the fact that JDD belongs to Lagardère, there is a French financial shark about to take over this group and, therefore, with the newspaper: the Vivendi group, owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, considered ultra-conservative in France. In the country, the first signs of a turn of the JDD to the right were noticed even with the former director, Jérôme Béglé -who goes to the magazine Paris Match, also from Lagardère- and the newsroom will fear now – It is written in France – Even more management intervention in the editorial line.
Lejeune is also no stranger to controversy. In November 2022, VA, of which he was editorial director, was convicted of racist insults due to a caricature of the deputy Danièle Obono, who appeared in the publication portrayed as if she were a slave, with chains around her neck. Initially sentenced to pay a fine and compensation to Obono, he ended up avoiding the penalty after an appeal.
The magazine ended up leaving at the beginning of this month of June because Lejeune joined on collision course with the owner of the group to which the magazine belongs, Valmonde, from Iskandar Safa, and the new head of business management, Jean-Louis Valentin.
Now a newcomer to the JDD and with a newsroom in an uproar against his nomination, Lejeune did not even go unnoticed by French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak, who on Twitter said she was concerned about “republican values”.
“My Sunday ritual was to wake up with the JDD. He didn’t show up today. I understand the editorial concerns. Legally, the JDD can be whatever it wants, as long as it abides by the law. Republican values, how can we not be alarmed?” the ruler wrote on Twitter.
The issue promises to make very little ink flow in the JDD newsroom, which will be paralyzed until at least Wednesday, since an extension of the initial strike was approved this Saturday, with 98% of the votes, which would end if the administration retracted of Lejeune’s nomination.
It didn’t happen and, for now, what you read on the newspaper website is simple: “A strike at the Journal du Dimanche prevents us from publishing its June 25, 2023 issue in its digital version and in its paper version, as well as the JDD Magazine.”
Who signs is “the Management”.
Source: TSF
