An auditor asks: “Why do these ‘voting intentions’ polls six months before the presidential election? Why are you forcing these polls on us?'”
Another question from an auditor: “Polls on voting intentions for the next presidential election are multiplying and Franceinfo is participating in this movement.”
Emmanuelle Daviet: What is franceinfo’s editorial policy in terms of polls in this year of the presidential campaign?
Jean-Philippe Baille: First, it should be noted that these polls are a photo at a given moment in the campaign. They occupy an important place today, because including the political parties, as you have surely noticed, will be based in any case for some of them, to designate their candidate. So yes, we are basing ourselves on these polls, or on this poll, since we have decided here at franceinfo to only report polls from the Ipsos institute that we commission. It is an institute which is known and recognized. And throughout the campaign, we will only report on this barometer, so as not to fall into the proliferation of studies that we can see emerging here and there.
For us, it is one piece of information, one among many, I emphasize: one among many. Thanks to these polls, we can see, for example, and determine what the dynamics are underway for a particular candidate. It is important. And what is the place of this or that other candidate. Again, this is one piece of information, one of many, again. I simply note that those who criticize the polls, at least the candidates who criticize the polls, are those who are less well placed. It is often said that when you have a fever, the thermometer is wrong.
An auditor wants to know why the Ipsos institute with which you work, probes the French on Eric Zemmour when he is not a candidate?
Because undeniably, he is today one of the actors of the campaign and he disrupts the political game. We can see it day by day. Moreover, when we survey the French, or when we ask the Ipsos institute to survey the French, we always do several hypotheses, with or without him. This allows us to see to whom his candidacy may cause harm, and which part of the electorate is sensitive or not to his speech.
And all these elements there too, this is information that allows us to contextualize the campaign and above all, to analyze each other’s strategy. For example, we have seen that a number of candidates have set the bar a little more to the right, since they saw Eric Zemmour arrive in the campaign. And that is important to underline.
And more generally, on your antenna, what journalistic treatment do you give to Eric Zemmour? What is your editorial line on it?
I admit that we asked ourselves the question and we debated together. How should he treat his arrival in the countryside? We initially felt that it was an essayist who was on promotion for his latest book. But today, it is clear that he is a political actor, as I told you, in this campaign. Moreover, the CSA itself, considers it as such since it decided to count its speaking time as a political personality.
I believe that today, the question is not to know: is Eric Zemmour a candidate?, But: when will he be? It is not “if”, but “when” the question that must be asked. So, for franceinfo, he is a candidate. Virtual candidate, of course, but a candidate who must be treated like the others, according to what he represents on the political spectrum.
And it will come on your antenna?
Like all the other candidates.