The introspection continues in several French media. At the turn of the 2010s, influential social media users, including many journalists, led harassment campaigns, particularly against women and feminist figures. The daily Release revealed in early February the actions of this “LOL League” in an article which in turn sparked multiple testimonies from victims during this period. These then snowballed and pSeveral cases of harassment or discrimination have been cited in the media.
The participatory survey #HeardInTheRedac, launched on the internet by the collectives of journalists Prenons la une, #NousToutes and Paye ton Journal reveals, Thursday, March 7, the extent of sexism and sexual violence in French newsrooms. VHere is a (non-exhaustive) list of stories exhibited in recent weeks.
The harassment of the “LOL League”
At the turn of the 2010s, a handful of influential social media users, belonging to a private Facebook group called the “LOL League”, took advantage of their notoriety to harass women. On February 8, an article from Checknews, the fact-checking site of Releasefocused on the period, delivering revelations on the actions of these thirty people who married, for the most part, journalistic careers.
Many people then decided to come out of silence to describe the harassment they suffered, especially women and feminist activists. “It started with malicious, abusive, insulting tweets, targeted and repeatedexplains in particular the scientific youtuber Florence Porcel to franceinfo. Then there were photomontages of a pornographic nature.”
>> FRANCEINFO SURVEY. “The LOL League”: how a Facebook group created “to have fun” turned into a humiliating machine
After “a thorough internal investigation”the newspaper Release announcedMonday, March 4, the dismissal of AH, deputy editor of its website. Release also decided to separate from Vincent Glad, founder of “La Ligue du LOL”, who had freelance status. “The management had no other choice, insofar as the facts made public on this occasion, which caused serious damage to several people, are at the exact opposite of the values that the newspaper has defended since its foundation, creating a serious and characterized disorder for Release“says the press release.
A toxic atmosphere at the “Inrocks”
As it concerns The Inrocks, DD, editor-in-chief, and François-Luc D., deputy editor, both members of “La Ligue du LOL”, were notified of their dismissal in early March. The management of Inrocks justifies these dismissals by the negative impact on “the image” of the newspaper and by “journalistic credibility” of the two interested parties within the editorial staff.
In addition, the management accuses its two employees of unprofessional behavior in the exercise of their hierarchical function. The methods of “La Ligue du LOL” seem to have been imported into the editorial staff. Many actions have been detailed in particular in an article from Mediapart (paid item).
Many testimonies show the hand of a small group who did not hesitate to send repeated spades to some on their physique. A former employee says she was the victim of photomontages. Many denounce a harmful atmosphere and “policing”, with in particular the concealment of a miniature camera. Former trainees also confided an oppressive atmosphere. One of them evokes the sending of many messages out of professional context, with remarks on her outfits.
A Sexist Discussion Channel at HuffPost
Three HuffPost.fr journalists were fired last fall for discriminatory remarks. Some employees had created a dedicated channel on the Slack professional messaging system used in writing. The exchanges gave rise to sexist, racist and homophobic remarks, according to information from Release, in an article published Monday, February 11. This is not a case of harassment as in the case of the “LOL League”.
Named “Radio Bière Foot”, this discussion space was launched more than two years ago to talk about football and write jokes, according to a former staff representative. About fifteen male journalists in their twenties on the website had joined this channel. “There were more and more virulent remarks and people on whom it became very strong and very regularly”explains one of them to Release. A colleague had access to these exchanges on a computer shared by several people, because the last user had forgotten to log out.
A journalist says she was “psychologically destroyed” and having attempted suicide; others are still on sick leave. A dozen women finally reported the information to management, without notifying their colleagues concerned. An investigation was then launched and the chairman of the group’s management board, Louis Dreyfus, wrote a letter to the attention of the employees to take stock of the situation. Three people were finally made redundant at the beginning of December. One of them asked his lawyer to seize the industrial tribunal.
The “discriminatory culture” at Vice
Similar facts also occurred within the editorial staff of the Vice.fr site, according to information from The Express. In the summer of 2017, the employees were received by the new director of human resources and denounced “a discriminating culture” within the company, reporting specific facts and providing the names of their colleagues concerned. Some sexist remarks are public but other insults are written in a private messaging group of seven people, named “Les Darons” then renamed “Townhall”.
“Naughty”, “sluts”, “defiled”… In June, a journalist had overheard a conversation on a screen, while a colleague had left his post without closing the page. “[Ils] insult our colleagues and my team all day longshe explains to The Express. Our slightest deeds and gestures are recorded there and systematically mocked or over-sexualized! The first complaints of sexist behavior are addressed to management.
Two employees were made redundant in July. In the letter written to one of them, management pointed out that his colleagues had “to suffer daily derogatory and humiliating remarks, whether on the quality of their work, the fact that they are women or sometimes even on their sexual orientation”. Furthermore, ofProcedures have been initiated against the five other members of the group.
Complaints to the “World” for sexual harassment
eight women filed a complaint, Wednesday, March 6, for “sexual harassment” and “psychological violence” against a journalist from World. The plaintiffs, mostly press officers, accuse him of sending them nude photos in 2016 and 2017.
The journalist, whose name they do not reveal, has been suspended as a precaution, the newspaper’s management said in a press release. The journalist’s family told Release and to 20 minutes that the latter had a neurodegenerative disease and had been under treatment for several years.
According to The worldIt is “hospitalized for several weeks” and did “not yet able to be heard to respond to these allegations of serious and repeated facts”. “There is a strong presumption with regard to the drug treatment followed by the employee and which could be the cause of all or part of his actions”said the director of the World, Jerome Fenoglio, at 20 minutes. “It was driven by the action of these substances that he sent these inappropriate messages to several women”wrote his companion in an email sent to Release.
Complaints of harassment to Europe 1
The head of the Europe 1 games, accused of moral and sexual harassment, is due to appear on May 7 before the Paris Criminal Court, according to information from the Parisian and the letter A.CFive complaints from employees were filed against him between April and July, for events between August 1, 2013 and July 3, 2018.
The employee of Europe 1, union representative in the company, is in particular suspected of having insulted a “employee of color in charge of radio planning”, relay The Parisian, who was able to consult the notice of hearing. In particular, he confided to the complainant that “Black people didn’t know how to do anything, that they were all going to die with Ebola”adds the daily. He also allegedly sent her malicious text messages. He is also suspected of having “repeatedly made comments with a sexual connotation” against a human resources officer.
Accusations that the employee rejects as a whole, who filed a complaint for “moral harassment” and “discrimination”. “A complaint prior to his referral to corrections”accurate to Parisian his lawyer Antoine Maisonneuve. According to him, “his client considers that the management of Europe 1 manipulated certain employees who filed a complaint against him”, adds the daily.
In addition, the radio station made a request for dismissal for disciplinary reasons to the Ministry of Labour. A dismissal refused by the Labor Inspectorate. “The labor inspector has taken an incomprehensible decision. It is a double penalty for these employees who, victims of harassment, are now treated as storytellers, not to mention that they meet in the corridors the mocking gaze of the one whom they accused, reacted to the daily Thierry Romand, the lawyer for Europe 1.
Inappropriate and misogynistic behavior at RMC
An RMC radio executiveof the NextRadioTV group, was pushed towards the exit last December, after the testimonies of several employees or ex-employees with the management, relating to inappropriate and sexist behavior, reports Streetpress, Wednesday March 6.
The facts go back seven years. The journalists report having received, while they were starting their careers, tendentious emails for several weeks, as well as numerous invitations outside working hours. They also confide that they had to undergo gravelly looks. In 2011, the employee in question left RMC. But he was rehired in October 2018. The journalists, victims of these actions, then decided to seize the unions and alert the HRD. Initially, they are told that they have no proof.
With the help of the unions, journalists are beginning to collect testimonies and evidence, such as screenshots. A new meeting finally takes place with the HRD. To support them, members of the editorial staff decided to write a letter signed by around sixty journalists. The next day, the editorial staff is informed that the executive, still on probation, is leaving the company to “personal reasons”.