Sought by Emmanuel Macron, awaited by professionals, implemented with some mistrust, driven by headwinds… the States General of Information (EGI), launched in October 2023 with the ambition of safeguarding the right to free and independent information and guaranteeing pluralism, will return your copy on Thursday 12 September.
“Our goal is to develop an action plan for France on all issues relating to the information space”“We are very pleased to announce that we have a great opportunity to work with the journalists and to be able to work together,” said Christophe Deloire, the event’s general delegate and then Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders, at its opening. Aware of the magnitude of the project he was going to have to carry out, the journalist had set himself ten priorities, such as: “protect the right to confidentiality of sources ” EITHER “modernize the rules regarding media pluralism and concentration”.
Almost a year later, Bruno Patiño, president of Arte, succeeded the president of the board of directors, Bruno Lasserre, who resigned in January. “for strictly personal and family reasons”, but following the announcement of an upcoming criminal trial for complicity in moral harassment, Patiño also replaced Deloire, who died suddenly on June 8.
A 349-page report
The ten objectives that should give rise to proposals “of a legislative, regulatory, budgetary and fiscal nature” It became a 349-page report, containing two recommendations (for professionals) and fifteen proposals: “improving media governance”, “guarantee media pluralism in the context of concentration operations”, etc. The circle is certainly closed. But has it allowed us to move forward?
«In all our proposals we try to have a balanced position between the freedom to obtain information without being manipulated, the freedom of journalists to exercise their profession with the least possible pressure, but also the freedom to undertake»Patiño says. Just as successive culture ministers Rima Abdul Malak and Rachida Dati did not want to interfere in the process to protect the EGI from any accusation of political control, the chairman of the steering committee did not want to go beyond what he considered his role. “We do not consider ourselves decision-makers, legislators, regulators, or even interprofessionals, because we are not representative and we accept it”He insists, anticipating disappointment: “No one will understand it 100%”.
You have 60.46% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
