Ladies and gentlemen elected,
Dear Jérôme Bouvier,
Dear friends,
I am delighted to be with you today for this Conference of Journalism, this privileged moment of debate and reflection.
We need to have that debate and reflection in the current context.
This is the meaning of the Great National Debate, desired by the President of the Republic, and which closes today.
It was an opportunity to collect nearly 1.7 million contributions from our fellow citizens.
Everywhere in France, it was an opportunity to relearn how to talk to each other, to listen to each other, with our differences and our sensitivities.
You have placed these Assizes under the sign of debate.
And I want to thank you for that.
The theme chosen this year says a lot – I think – about the situation we are experiencing.
“The media, all the same”:
Not so long ago, this speech was marginal.
Today, we hear it everywhere: on Twitter newswires, on the street, on TV sets, and even on the benches of the National Assembly.
Mistrust of the media has become commonplace.
The annual barometer of French confidence in the media is eloquent: it has never been weaker.
One in two French people do not trust what they hear on the radio – even though radio is the medium in which French people have the most confidence!
For 53% of French respondents, «most media have poorly covered the Yellow Vests movement, because they have only shown certain aspects and have not given the floor to everyone».
This distrust is all the more dramatic as it turns, in some, to violence.
Journalists have been subjected to repeated attacks, some have been attacked, printing houses have been blocked, radio studios have been set on fire – I am thinking of the premises of France Bleu Isère.
These barriers to freedom of information are intolerable, unacceptable, inexcusable. To attack you is to attack our entire democracy.
These acts of violence must be repressed with the greatest severity, whether they are carried out by demonstrators or, as some cases have shown, by some representatives of the police forces. I have discussed this with the Ministers of the Interior and Justice. The State is there to guarantee your security. FNMI investigations are ongoing and justice must be seized whenever necessary.
It is not enough to condemn these acts of violence, wherever they come from.
And especially not to get used to the mistrust that sets in.
It is urgent to remedy this situation.
To do this, we must first understand where it comes from.
The infox helped to create this climate, blurring the boundaries between the true and the false.
Social networks also, more generally, by erasing the difference between information and opinion, between professional journalism and activism, and paradoxically encouraging a logic «among oneself», through information bubbles.
The political class also has its share of responsibility.
Some politicians, each in their own way, have contributed to instilling, reinforcing and maintaining this hostility.
Journalists are the first to be able to counter this mistrust.
In spite of everything, the French polled put journalists at the top of those who should act against the infox, ahead of regulatory bodies like the CSA, citizens and the government.
And according to the Viavoice barometer on French expectations of journalists, news and media, 91% of French people think that journalists are useful.
I don’t hide the fact that I would like to see the same score for politicians…!
Yes, these figures are proof that the first to overcome this mistrust is you.
It is your rigour, your ethics, your constant concern to explain, to verify the facts, to put situations in perspective, to produce reliable and quality information, to adapt to the evolutions of our societies.
In this regard, I salute the work undertaken for several months by many media to develop initiatives to decipher information.
In print and digital media, on television and radio, these initiatives are multiplying. I am delighted about that.
You have unparalleled expertise in this area. So much so that digital platforms realize that their best ally against infox is journalism. It’s you.
The law on the manipulation of information of 22 December 2018 imposes on them a «duty of cooperation» to fight against false information.
One of the central modalities of this «duty of cooperation» is based on partnerships with the professional press, for actions to decipher information.
Some partnerships have already been signed. I am thinking of Facebook’s partnership with AFP Factuel. It is essential that these partnerships continue to develop, with all social networks, including those like Twitter that have not yet signed up to this process.
In the face of those who attack your profession, I want to repeat it forcefully: I am at your side to defend you.
And I will support you tirelessly.
I will say it over and over again, as I have since taking office.
The day after, I wanted to go to the celebration of the 100e anniversary of the National Union of Journalists.
To affirm that I am at your side, that the Republic will always be at your side, in the fight for freedom of the press. Here in France; on the battlefields, abroad; and wherever you are threatened, intimidated, attacked, simply because you are doing your job.
Eighty of them were killed because of journalists last year.
I have a thought for them, and for the 6 journalists killed since the beginning of the year.
Today I have come to remind you that it is the responsibility of the State to guarantee your freedom. To protect yourself in the exercise of your profession. To allow you to inform.
I have three priorities: trust, independence, and education.
- My first priority, of course, is to help you regain the bond of trust with our fellow citizens.
You are taking part here at the Assises du Journalisme, allowing for dialogue between the public and journalists.
A dialogue that you are also extending on the other side of the Mediterranean: I would like to welcome the first edition of the Assises in Tunis, which took place last November.
On the other side of the Mediterranean still, at this very moment, your Algerian confreres are showing great courage to cover the demonstrations, notwithstanding the pressures they are under.
I want to pay tribute to them.
As I said, you are the first people who can rebuild trust.
But for that, the media must accept to transform.
It is up to you to show that you are not “all the same”! It is up to you to fight for more parity, more diversity!
Like many of our compatriots, I was shocked by the revelations about the LOL league.
Shocked by violence. Shocked by silence.
Shocked by this climate that reigns in some editorials, in some media: a harmful climate.
Shocked by the time it took for the word to be released.
Shocked because, if the editors had been more mixed, more equal, more egalitarian, perhaps the victims would have been less afraid to speak.
Perhaps they would not have waited nearly 10 years after the fact to alert us.
That is why it is crucial that journalism be open to all talents.
That is why we must collectively be more vigilant, more attentive and more combative in the fight against discrimination and harassment.
Two days ago, at the Ministry of Culture, I brought together audiovisual media publishers to sign a charter against sexual and gender-based violence.
It requires major TV and radio groups to raise awareness of harassment, to punish wrongdoing and its perpetrators, and to support victims.
My ambition is for this charter to be extended to all media. In September, a second wave of signatures is scheduled.
My ambition, beyond the prevention of violence, is to achieve parity and real equality, in the editorial boards and on sets.
To have editorial boards that resemble our society, that reflect its diversity.
There are already some great initiatives at work: I am thinking, for example, of «La Chance aux concours», a free prep that, for more than 10 years, has been helping scholarship students prepare for journalism school competitions.
But it is essential to go further, faster.
More diversity is – I am convinced – a way for our media to regain trust with the French.
Another means could be the establishment of a self-regulatory body for the profession.
As you know, I gave Emmanuel Hoog a mission to think about it.
He was able to present the first elements of his reflection here yesterday.
I think that this reflection is legitimate and useful, both for the profession and for our democracy.
Such a body already exists in a number of our neighbours.
It is recommended by several international organizations, such as UNESCO and the OSCE.
Our compatriots are mostly in favour of creating such a body.
Three out of four French people are «for», as indicated by the Viavoice barometer presented yesterday.
Your profession is more shared.
I’m well aware of that.
I have heard the positions of journalists' unions. They have evolved on the issue, and I want to commend them for that.
I have also heard the criticism, the reluctance, the hostility sometimes, from newspaper publishers in particular. I respect them.
But to tell you the truth, I don’t think that Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, or Great Britain—all of which have this kind of advice—are cheap democracies where press freedom would be threatened.
Emmanuel Hoog will be giving me his report in about 10 days. I will of course make it public.
I want to thank him for the important work he has done.
His proposals will receive my full attention.
- My second priority is to ensure your independence.
This independence depends on the security of your business model.
It is being undermined by the digital giants.
That is the whole issue of neighbouring rights for press publishers.
Behind neighbouring law, the future of journalism is at stake.
His future, or rather his survival.
Sammy Ketz, a great AFP reporter, has brilliantly explained this on several occasions in his forums.
In one of them, he writes:
' Many times I met people besieged, isolated, defenceless, who asked only one thing: "tell what you saw, so we will have a chance to be saved". Should I say to them: "No, lose your illusions, we are the last journalists, soon you will not see any more because they will disappear becauseof means?" ».
The neighbouring right is to preserve your means to go on the ground.
This is allowing your businesses to pay for bulletproof vests, helmets, armored cars, sometimes bodyguards to prevent your colleagues from being removed ».
It allows you to inform, and to do so with protection.
The value created by the press is now being consumed by platforms, by search engines, which reuse your content without remunerating it, even though it generates significant advertising revenues.
The objective of the recognition of a neighbouring right of the press is to guarantee a fair sharing of value.
To rebalance it for the benefit of press companies, but also journalists-authors.
I defended the creation of this right, with commitment and determination, both at European and national level.
Today we are on the eve of a final agreement, since the European Parliament is due to vote on the agreement reached on 14 February the week of 26 March.
At the national level, the Government supported the bill introduced by Senator David Assouline, which was unanimously adopted by the Senate on 24 January. This unanimity must be stressed.
If the copyright directive is adopted at the end of the month, this proposed law can serve as a transposition text.
Otherwise, it will be the basis for a national text on the subject, and we will encourage all our neighbours in favour of the neighbouring right to do the same.
These texts set out the principle of sharing with journalist-authors the remuneration generated by neighbouring law.
This sharing will have to be negotiated through collective agreements.
It is not just a matter of ensuring that publishers are compensated, but a fair sharing.
Protecting your business model also means helping the press.
Support for pluralism and innovation was reinforced in the 2019 budget. We are also considering how best to extend support for pluralism to online press services. Finally, the State strongly supports AFP, a pillar of the quality of information, in the evolution of its model.
Protecting your economic model also means reforming press distribution.
This is the purpose of the forthcoming reform of the Bichet law.
We will modernize it without questioning its founding principles.
We believe in the model of the paper press, and we support it, with only one objective: the access of our citizens, throughout the territory, to a diversity of titles.
- My third priority is to develop media and information literacy.
Because without education, the quality, plurality and credibility of your information do not have the same reception.
It is education that allows everyone to broaden his horizon; to understand the world and its complexity; to develop his critical mind; to free himself from the paths traced by social networks, their algorithms and uninterrupted flows.
Information education must enable everyone to use the media with discernment; not to regard any information received as an established truth.
This is the opposite of a “paternalistic” vision: it means giving citizens the means to reclaim information. The freedom to form one’s own opinion.
I therefore want to consolidate and develop the departmental plan launched last spring.
It resulted in a doubling of the funding allocated by the Ministry of Culture.
This new plan will support the development of concrete actions.
- Raise awareness of responsible use of social networks,
- Participate in the design of a webmagazine,
- Analyze the strategies behind advertising,
- Create a webradio show,
- Decode the press around current issues,
- Dismantle stereotypes in video games:
These are some of the opportunities to educate young people – but also the not so young – about the media.
In addition, I am announcing today that I will be launching a national call for projects in the coming weeks.
It will support projects dedicated to understanding journalistic work and the functioning of the media, and combating false information, conspiracy and hate content.
Projects may take the form of pedagogical interventions, development of educational tools and resources, training modules.
It will:
- To support actions already undertaken by national associations of information or popular education professionals,
- Intensify the participation of libraries, whose central role in this field is affirmed throughout the country,
- And to create new projects.
It will be complemented by regional calls for projects managed by the DRAC.
Finally, I would like a "media literacy" component to be included in the national universal service, as requested by the President of the Republic.
The SNU is an opportunity for an entire age group to regroup, to learn to “live together”, without distinction of origin, sex, social background or territory.
This is the right time to educate these aspiring citizens to the media; to help them decipher the world around them; to teach them not to drown in the flood of information.
It is the culmination of the citizen’s journey, which began in primary school and continued in college.
And, on the road to citizenship, we need to put more emphasis on digital education: learning to use the Internet in a reasoned way, protecting one’s privacy, raising awareness of the fight against piracy…
For all these reasons, it would be natural for media and information education to be a part of the national universal service.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Dear friends,
A few minutes ago, I mentioned Sammy Ketz’s platform in favour of neighbouring law.
He sums up all the nobility, all the greatness, all the value of your profession.
A value that is not always obvious to the average person.
But behind every word, there you are.
Behind every sentence, there you are.
He takes as an example: «Suicide bombing in a Shiite neighborhood of Baghdad: 32 dead (source: police, hospitals).»
To publish this simple line, you are here.
There to investigate, to determine the nature of the explosion. To call the hospitals, to take stock. To go there and describe the places. To gather testimonies. Sometimes, at the risk of your lives.
If I want to restore confidence, protect your independence, encourage education, it is to ensure that France, in its own way, is there with you.