The regional daily is surprised by the success of its operation aimed at first-time voters.
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“First vote = first subscription”. This is the operation launched by The voice of the North for the presidential election. Those under 25 who go to the polls for the first time can, with a stamped voter’s card in support, apply for a daily digital subscription for a period of six months.
Since the 1st round, success has been there. “We are almost at 600 requests, it is more than what we expected! This operation corresponds to the positioning of The voice of the North : we want to be a media actor within society and the region. The idea was to reduce abstention among young people” Explain Gabriel d’Harcourt, the director of the publication of the regional newspaper. On the other hand, there is no question for the title of taking a position in favor or against a candidate: “It is not our vocation. We are here to explain, analyze and compare programmes. We give all the elements to our readers so that they can make their choice. But there is no reason for us to engages behind one or the other” said Gabriel d’Harcourt. The voice of the North however, did not hesitate to position itself for the regional elections of 2015 with this title: “Why does a FN victory worry us?”
“Marine Le Pen was a candidate in Hauts-de-France, and we as Hauts-de-France media, we decided to say how her program had inconsistencies that could be unfavorable to the region.”
Gabriel d’Harcourton franceinfo
Since the arrival of Steeve Briois as mayor of Hénin-Beaumont in 2014, relations between the National Rally and The voice of the North were quite tense. Have they calmed down? “Yes, miraculously in recent weeks, things are going a little less badly … It must be said that our relations with the town hall of Hénin-Beaumont are appalling. It is very difficult to exercise your profession as a journalist. It is the only municipality in the Nord and Pas-de-Calais with which things are going so badly. It has made it a specialty to send us the right of reply as soon as we quote the mayor or that we speaks of the town hall. It is a form of permanent obstruction or even harassment. We received more than a hundred rights of reply! I think I can say without being mistaken that it is a French record, ” concludes Gabriel d’Harcourt.