Geoffroy Lejeune succeeds Jérôme Béglé, who has been named managing director of the editorial staff of Paris Match, another Lagardere group title, the takeover of Vivendi, the group of ultra-conservative billionaire Vincent Pollor, has now been approved by Brussels.
“Geoffroy is a raw talent in French journalism that we could not pass up,” reasoned Arnaud Lagardère, CEO of the eponymous group, quoted in a press release sent to the press before JDD journalists were informed of the decision.
According to the group, the former editor of Current Values, a supporter of Eric Zemor in the 2022 presidential election and close to Marion Marechal, “will have the task of expressing the excellence of journalism, namely: facts, investigation, duty to inform”.
“It is a great honor in the life of a journalist to be able to work in the service of such a prestigious title”, responded in the same press release, Geoffroy Lejeune, who stepped down from Valeurs Actuelles in the background of disagreements with his partner. His line is too far to the right.
But this journalist with a dazzling career did not arrive in the conquered land.
“The entire editorial staff is disgusted and I am personally devastated,” a journalist from JDD who wished to remain anonymous responded to AFP. “We’re all hurt,” says one of his colleagues.
Two hours earlier, having failed to receive confirmation or denial from its leaders, the editorial staff voted 96% to renew the strike, deciding to denounce the appointment of Geoffroy Lejeune the previous day – then assumed – Le World revealed. Publication of a Sunday newspaper.
“From the moment they announced that this Sunday paper would not appear, they were able to confirm the appointment in a hurry”, analyzes the aforementioned journalist.
“Bolor system”
“It’s the icing on a really bitter cake,” says his colleague. “It’s even more brutal”, he continues, “an incredible form in the face of such an insult (…) we are thinking about different methods of action”, an internal source reported that Lagardere’s visit was planned in the newspaper on Tuesday morning before Saturday’s strike and an Arnaud renewal.
Le Monde’s revelations have sparked outrage in media and political circles since Thursday.
Geoffroy Lejeune “expresses views contrary to the values that the JDD has brought for seventy-five years,” the JDD’s Union of Journalists (SDJ) warned on Thursday, recalling the punishment of Valeurs Actuelles for racist insults to deputy LFI. Daniel Opono.
“We + newspaper + are talking about a man who published racist caricatures,” LFI vice-president Thomas Ports protested on Twitter on Friday.
“The Pollor system is coming into effect: it is a brutal method of maintaining the shareholder’s grip, denying the basic rules of journalism and insulting the history of a newspaper”, the General Secretary responded on the same network. Reporters Without Borders, Christophe Deloire.
“Pollore is an expert in media ax cutting. Press assassination”.
“Beyond provocation and demonstration, the extreme right now settles quietly in the media, (which is) a betrayal to all editorial staff and readers,” said Alain Genestar, JDD’s editorial director from 1987 to 1999.
In recent years, Mr. Pollore has been accused of using the media he controls (including CNews and C8 television or Europe 1 radio) to promote his views, which he denies.
The announcement of the merger of the editorial staff of Europe 1 and CNews in the spring of 2021 triggered a historic strike movement in radio that ended in bloody exits.
From October 2021, several changes affected the management of Paris Match and JDT.
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