Gérald Darmanin, Minister of the Interior, and Roselyne Bachelot-Narquin, Minister of Culture, received today at the Ministry of Culture, rue de Valois, representatives of the profession of journalist and employers of journalists.
The objective of the meeting was to take stock of the implementation of the recommendations of the report of the independent commission on relations between the press and law enforcement, chaired by Jean-Marie Delarue, since its presentation to the Prime Minister on 3 May.
Two topics in particular were at the heart of the discussions.
The Ministry of Culture presented the results of the work carried out within the working group “identification of journalists”. The central role of the press card and the international press card has been reaffirmed to justify the quality of journalist and to allow its holders to benefit from traffic facilities on the ground to cover demonstrations on the public roads. In connection with the profession, a standardized certification model has been developed for non-licensed journalists and accompanying journalists to give them access to the same facilities. This attestation will be used from 1er january 2022.
The Ministry of the Interior presented the work of rewriting the National Scheme of Order (SNMO), in its section dedicated to journalists, in order to take into account the decision of the Council of State and the recommendations of the independent commission. For the record, the SNMO constitutes an unprecedented work of writing the doctrine of the forces of law and order in matters of policing. In this new version, the paramount importance of the role of journalists and the need to protect the right to inform, a pillar of our democracy, as well as respect for public order, are forcefully reaffirmed. The physical safety of journalists must be guaranteed. Special rights are granted to journalists to carry out their mission of informing the public: access to a dedicated channel of exchange with the police forces for important demonstrations; free movement within security arrangements for demonstrations on public roads; the possibility of carrying out their mission during the dispersal of an assembly if they are placed in such a way that they cannot be confused with the participants in the assembly and do not hinder the action of the police forces; They can position themselves behind the cords of law enforcement and wear protective equipment. A monthly liaison committee between the Ministry of the Interior and the press will be set up from 1er January 2022 to allow for ongoing dialogue.
Participants at the meeting welcomed, in the main, the constructive framework that has been put in place and the progress made in recent months on the file.