Good, but could do better. This is the assessment given by the last edition of the Viavoice barometer* on the usefulness of journalism, published on Saturday 7 May. On the one hand, a majority of French people say they are interested in politics and consider that the treatment of the campaign was of good quality. But the neutrality of journalists is debated and public confidence is far from being fully acquired on these subjects, as the study reveals. produced for the International Journalism Conference, in partnership with France Télévisions, Radio France, France Médias Monde and the Sunday newspaper. Here is a summary.
Withdrawn confidence in political matters
First lesson: the French have limited confidence in journalists when they talk about politics. Among the themes tested, such as culture, sport or even health, politics thus arrives at the very bottom of this table. The barometer reveals that less than one in two French people say they trust journalists on this subject, where positive feelings exceed 80% of responses for sport or culture, for example.
However, the French people questioned (just after the election) consider in majority (57%) that the quality of the information delivered during the presidential campaign was “pretty good” Where “very good”, shows the barometer. She also allowed them to “know the programs offered” (for 56% of respondents) or “get to know the different candidates better” (52%). “The media have achieved a feat, that of restoring interest in this campaign”believes Stewart Chau, director of political studies and opinion at Viavoice, who takes as proof the words most chosen to qualify the media treatment of this major political meeting. In fact, the terms “useful”, “accessible” or “interesting” monopolize the first places of this classification.
The words “complex” and “agonizing” also come back to discuss the treatment of the presidential election. “The complexity was particularly felt during the debate between the two rounds [entre Emmanuel Macron et Marine Le Pen] which was above all programmatic, and focused much less on ideology or the debate of postures”, details Stewart Chau at franceinfo. As for the anxiety, it can be explained by the situation. “After two years of the pandemic, as the war in Ukraine continued, the candidates rolled out programs of rejection and unoptimistic visionsexplains the director. It is very fertile ground for collective concern.”
The objectivity of journalists called into question
According to this barometer, journalists are rather perceived as lacking objectivity. Indeed, more than 60% of French people questioned by Viavoice believe that the media treatment of political figures varies according to their side. This opinion is more pronounced among right-wing and far-right voters, details the barometer. Thus, the French who voted for Valérie Pécresse in the first round are 79% to think that journalists are not objective on these questions, 78% among those who voted for Eric Zemmour and 71% among voters for Marine Le Pen.
More generally, the French people questioned are 82% to think that the concentration of the media poses a risk to democracy, by compromising the debates of society. This phenomenon also makes 65% of respondents fear threats to the editorial freedom of journalists working for these major media groups.
Interest in politics resists a campaign deemed “disappointing”
The Viavoice barometer, carried out at the end of the presidential campaign, reveals that 66% of French people questioned say they are interested in political news (cumulative score of “yes”); 21% say they even “completely interested” by this theme. A taste that is found especially among retirees (79% of positive responses) and executives (74% of positive responses), specifies the study.
For pollsters, this score is interesting in more ways than one. “It’s a good result considering this particular campaign, which didn’t really happen and was even disappointing according to many interviewees”stresses Stewart Chau. “Emmanuel Macron’s late entry into the campaign” as “the absence of a televised debate with all the candidates before the first round” sometimes undermined the interest of those interviewed, he explains.
Finally, the respondents confirm their attachment to television, which was the main information channel used during the campaign for 75% of them. Radio comes in second place (38% of responses), just ahead of print media (37%) and online media, excluding social networks (33%).
* Study carried out by Viavoice for the Assises internationales du journalisme de Tours (May 9 to 13) based on online interviews, from April 25 to 27, 2022, with a sample of 1,000 people representative of the French population of 18 and over. Representativeness by the quota method applied to the following criteria: sex, age, profession, region and category of agglomeration.