The journalist died Tuesday at the age of 86.
An interviewer who will have marked his era. The political class unanimously paid tribute to journalist Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, who died on Tuesday October 3 at the age of 86. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed a “sacred monster of French journalism”. This death occurred “on the eve of the 65th anniversary of our Fifth Republic, he who was always there, on each of its major dates, on our screens or on our airwaves, to recount its rich moments and question its actors”recalled the head of state.
>> Tenacious interviewer, radio and television boss… With the death of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, a page in political journalism closes
“He was insatiable by his curiosity”, greeted his predecessor François Hollande at the microphone of France Inter. For the former President of the Republic, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach was “undoubtedly one of the greatest journalists”. He also remembers a man “respectful of what the policy was.” “If he had become a journalist, it was because he too wanted his place in the destiny of France or even the world”assures the former head of state.
“Passionate about politics, bulimic for information, pugnacious and uncompromising interviewer, demanding and visionary media director, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach left his mark on an entire generation”declared Nicolas Sarkozy on the X platform.
Many remembered the uncompromising interviews conducted by the journalist, sharing their personal experience or that of their political family. “A fellow traveler of the Fifth Republic, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach left his mark on the media history of our country. His legendary exchanges with Georges Marchais will remain engraved. I, in turn, appreciated his always respectful interviews”greeted the national secretary of the Communist Party Fabien Roussel.
“My first interview was with Jean-Pierre Elkabbach!”
“My first interview was with Jean-Pierre Elkabbach! As much a test as a consecration”, confided former LR minister Rachida Dati. In an equally personal register, the former socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confided that the journalist was his “friend of Oran”. “We shared memories of North Africa, expressions that only we used”he adds, paying tribute to “a journalist driven by a passion to know, understand and inform”.
“A lot of sadness at the news of the death of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach. Tireless worker, inexhaustible interviewer, I remember our first meeting, at the microphone, and this feeling of dizziness, of stress, which quickly gave way to a cordial and trusting relationship”noted on the government side the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt, while the Minister of Finance Bruno Le Maire emphasized that he was a “outstanding observer of our national political life” who has “believed all his life in the power of public commitment”.
For his part, the president of the National Rally (RN) Jordan Bardella also insisted on the dimension of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach in modern politics. “He had interviewed all the heads of state since Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and brought our democratic debate to life: Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, that’s more than half a century of political journalism, and memorable interviews”he wrote. “The world of media loses a great journalist of character whom politicians feared because he was so intellectually solid”added the president of the LR party Eric Ciotti.
The world of “sad” journalism
On the media side, “I am very sad about the disappearance of Jean-Pierre”reacted on franceinfo Marc-Olivier Fogiel, general director of BFMTV. “He was a talented interviewer who went to fights and put on boxing gloves every day because he wanted to create some sort of tension every time.” The writer and journalist Philippe Labro greeted him “very great journalist, undoubtedly the greatest of his generation”also on franceinfo.