The appointment as head of the “Sunday newspaper” of the former editor of “Current Values”, known for his far-right positions, sparked a strike by editorial journalists.
The appointment as head of the JDD of journalist Geoffroy Lejeune, known for his marked positions on the far right, is an “economic choice, and not at all ideological”, justified Monday June 26 the shareholder of the newspaper Arnaud Lagardère In Le Figaro. “I made this decision alone. Neither Vincent Bolloré, nor anyone from Vivendi, was involved in this decision”assured the leader, whose industrial and media group has just been swallowed up by the French media giant and its very influential boss.
The editorial staff renewed its strike almost unanimously until next Wednesday, in an attempt to prevent the arrival of Geoffroy Lejeune, the former editorial director of Current values, support for Eric Zemmour in the 2022 presidential election and close to Marion Maréchal. She received broad support from the profession and the support of many left-wing politicians, as well as the Minister of Culture.
“This far-right fantasy is not real”
The movement paralyzed the website, before preventing the release of the paper edition on Sunday, an extremely rare event in the history of the influential weekly, scrutinized in the political world for its Sunday interviews. “I do not choose Geoffroy in order to change the editorial line, but of course, the JDD must also know how to adapt to changes in the world as we have always done in the past”said Arnaud Largardère, CEO of the group that bears his name, who is to meet the editorial staff on Tuesday.
“This fantasy of the far right that invites itself into our weekly is not real”, he believes. In the past, Geoffroy Lejeune “has also received and interviewed the entire political spectrum, from Alexis Corbière to Marine Le Pen, via President Emmanuel Macron” who had given a long interview on immigration to Valeurs Actuelles in 2019, anxious to go “on the opponent’s ground”.
“Let’s see Geoffroy Lejeune at work and give him some time. My decision is made.”
Arnaud Lagardereat Figaro
Arnaud Lagardère ruled out the possibility of setting up an editorial charter or the establishment of a right of veto for the editorial staff on the appointment of the editorial director. For their part, the journalists of the JDD created a website to organize their mobilization. It is possible to help them by contributing to the strike fund. And a support evening will be organized tomorrow evening in Paris, at the Free Theater, from 6:30 p.m.