Over the past two weeks, many listeners have been writing to us to react to the editorial treatment of the upcoming legislative elections. Florent Guyotat, deputy editorial director of franceinfo, is alongside Emmanuelle Daviet, the mediator of the Radio France antennas, to respond to them.
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Florent Guyotat, deputy editorial director, answers several questions raised by listeners. They wonder what impact polls have on the democratic process, especially in this complex period; are they essential or not? What is their place on the air?
In the meeting of Emmanuelle Daviet, the mediator of the Radio France antennas, also: the added value of the reports which give voice to ordinary citizens on the current political sequence or their voting intentions. Some listeners question the proliferation of sidewalk microphones, believing that these occasional testimonies do not constitute information. What is the point of listening to these vox populi?
Finally, we will see the speaking time granted to the different political groups. The principle that applies is that of equity, not strict equality. How is this equity assessed?
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Emmanuelle Daviet: Listeners, many of whom wrote to us, express real concern about the current political climate, and they also wonder about different aspects of this campaign. For example, listeners believe that the polls deeply disrupt the democratic process in this difficult period, and would like us not to talk about it.
What do you think of this option and what is your editorial line regarding polls? Are they essential or not?
Florent Guyotat : So first of all, during an election period, it is true that it is common for the media, including Franceinfo, to order opinion surveys from polling institutes. This was the case before the Europeans. We published voting intention surveys with our partner Ipsos. Polls which, this time, turned out to be rather accurate, since the results of European women in France were generally in line with the latest surveys that we published.
We also remember that this was not always the case. During other elections, it has happened, as they say, that the polls are wrong and that a poll, basically, is never more than a snapshot of opinion at a given moment, on a reduced sample. of the population, with a margin of error, and therefore a possibility that the result of the vote will not conform to predictions.
So I talked to you about the European elections and previous elections. And for this campaign that interests us, that is to say the legislative campaign which has lasted since the evening of June 9, for almost two weeks, you may have noticed, franceinfo has, for the moment, published no poll.
So I reassure you, there will be one this evening at 6 p.m., still with our partner Ipsos, and another also next week. But I will explain to you, and this is important, the precautions we are taking. There will be percentages of voting intentions, that is to say “so many percent”, of those questioned, who want to vote for a particular formation. Questions about the wishes for victory also, “so many percent”, of those questioned, who want a particular political group to win at the end of the elections. This will give us, importantly, an indication of the state of public opinion.
On the other hand, before the first round, there will be no projections for us in terms of number of seats in the Assembly. So no indication, for example, of a group which could have a relative majority or an absolute majority. Quite simply because our partner Ipsos has the honesty to tell us that it would be too risky: too many uncertainties, too much risk of errors. So, in these conditions, we prefer not to give projections in terms of number of seats, to avoid making mistakes, or giving a trend that is not sufficiently supported.
Emmanuelle Daviet: We continue with what we call, in our jargon, “sidewalk microphones”. What are the added values of reports where we hear ordinary citizens talking about the current political sequence, or telling us who they are going to vote for, listeners ask? So I’m reading you one of the messages received. “I am surprised by the proliferation of sidewalk microphones to inform us about public affairs in these complex times. I wonder about the point of listening to this. It is not information.”
What is the point of listening to these vox populi?
Florent Guyotat: So overall, I disagree with this listener’s remark, because we are also often criticized for being too institutional. We are told : “You give too much voice to political figures or specialists”. It’s important to hear them and it’s part of the democratic debate. We hear it every day from political figures on Franceinfo. But precisely, for these elections, it is an editorial desire and an assumed choice. We do not want to limit ourselves to the words of politicians and specialists.
At franceinfo, we also want to give a voice to voters from all sides, to hear them so that they can tell us their fears, and their hopes too. And that’s why every morning, during the week, until Friday June 28, which precedes this first round of elections, we give the floor to voters from Yonne and Gironde, via our reporters, Valentin Dunate and Boris Loumagne. And once again, it is an assumed choice, because we do not want to limit ourselves to official words.
We finish with speaking times. The principle that applies is that of equity and not strict equality. So how do you assess this fairness?
So I first remind you that we have legal obligations. We have speaking times to respect with ARCOM, the audiovisual regulator, speaking times which are set for each party, for each group, depending in particular on the results of the last elections. All this is strictly controlled. And if we do not respect these objectives, these percentages, we expose ourselves to sanctions. So, obviously, we’re very careful.