Best Practices nb#2
Investigative journalism
Case
in France
Melissa
Chemam
--
Summer
School for Journalists
CMFP,
Florence, June 2012
--
Investigative journalism is not as developed in France as in
the US or the UK. But legally, laws exist to protect journalists and their
sources. It’s more in practice that it becomes sometimes dangerous for the
investigative reporters to try and protect their rights, contacts and sources.
The Press Freedom Law of 29 July 1881 passed under the
French Third Republic intended to liberalise the press and promote free public
discussion. The new law swept away a swathe of earlier statutes, stating at the
outset the principle that "Printing and publication are free".
But in 1893, following French anarchist Augustin Vaillant’s
assassination attempt, the first anti-terrorist laws were voted, which were
quickly denounced as ‘lois scelerates’, threatening the media freedom. These
laws severely restricted freedom of expression, permitting widespread
censorship of the press. Since then, the country has been battling to protect
the rights of journalists to investigate political stories. Censorship was
current during World War I, for instance, and it led to the 1915 creation of
the Canard enchainé weekly, which
used and still uses today satires, cartoons and games of words to pass through
censorship.
Though the press is largely unrestricted by law in France,
indirect pressures are still denounced by some journalists. They comes from
state members in order for instance to prevent publication of materials against
the interests of the government or influential industries. Involvement of the
government and major industrial groups with press organisations also occurs
regularly. The business groups Dassault and Bouygues are for instance well know
to be close to the main right-wing party and own many newspapers and TV
stations favouring their candidates during elections or the government’s policy
when the right is in power.
To avoid such bad practices, newspapers have developed editorial
committees and other tools to protect themselves from owners’ involvement in
their investigation.
An example: In 2010, French investigative journalists were
accused of uncovering two scandals involving Nicolas Sarkozy during his
pre-presidential career, involving ‘L'Oreal’ heiress Liliane Bettencourt and an
arms contract in Karachi, Pakistan. But the accusations themselves were finally
published all over the press and thus were heralded as a triumph for press
freedom. Newspapers and websites like Le
Monde, the investigative news website Mediapart,
and the satirical and investigative weekly Le
Canard Enchainé, gave French people revelation and their reporters exposed
the meanderings of the Bettencourt and ‘Karachigate’ scandals.
The culture of investigative journalism seems to have taken
root in France, but the collision between politicians and journalists remains
slippery. Many French journalists and politicians study in the same
universities and gather in the same networks, which is demeaning their
independence.
Nonetheless, mainly in the print press, investigative
journalists still cherish their independence and do not hesitate to defend it
when necessary. In 2010, for instance, shareholders in the French newspaper Le
Monde denounced then President Nicolas Sarkozy’s
attempt to interfering in interfering in the process of selling
their newspaper.
But Le Canard enchaîné, a
weekly 8-page newspaper remains the main source of investigation in France. It
is very independent and unique in many ways, as it has no website and carries
no advertising. Above all, it is the only newspaper in France that practices
ongoing investigative reporting about politics.
--
Sources :
http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/arss_0335-5322_2000_num_131_1_2663
: Les révélations du "journalisme d'investigation", par Dominique
Marchetti, Actes de la Recherche en Sciences Sociales, Année 2000, Volume 131,
Numéro 1
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