It was with a bruised face that Marc-Olivier Fogiel went to the funeral of journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff, this Tuesday, June 21 at the Père-Lachaise crematorium, alongside the family of the deceased. The news channel BFM TV announced on May 30 the death of its 32-year-old reporter, killed by a bombing while he was reporting in eastern Ukraine, in Severodontsk. The humanitarian convoy in which he was traveling had been hit by a shell. He is the eighth journalist to die because of this war. His mother reacted immediately.
A large gathering was organized on June 10, Place de la République in Paris, to pay tribute to him. On this occasion, Marc-Olivier Fogiel, general manager of BFMTV, had spoken on this subject. He seemed very moved when he spoke. “Just these few words to tell you that the editorial staff of BFMTV is in mourning. We mourn a passionate journalist. He was following a humanitarian mission in an armored truck while being, he thought, safe with his bulletproof vest, his helmet” he had lamented, while recalling the need to continue covering the conflict in Ukraine, indicating that another team had just left for Kyiv.
“We think very strongly of him”
He had already spoken a few days earlier on the death of the journalist, paying tribute to him on Instagram. “He was very committed and I am proud of his choices. I take refuge behind the words of Frédéric’s mother. If this evening dominates the infinite sadness, let us all be proud of it. I think of his family, his friends, Maxime and Oksana and the journalists of @BFMTV” he said in the caption, while posting a photo of the deceased.