The editorial head of the newspaper “La Provence” reinstated, after a journalists’ strike

Journalists from the regional daily, who had denounced “inadmissible editorial interference”, nevertheless maintained a rally planned for Monday morning.

His layoff did not last long. The daily’s editorial chief Provence (CMA CGM group), laid off on Friday due to a headline on Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Marseille judged “ambiguous” by the management of the newspaper, will return to his functions on Monday, the latter announced on Sunday March 24.

“The management of ‘La Provence’ is pleased to announce an agreement with Aurélien Viers, editorial director” whose “withdrawal of the layoff (…) was decided after a working meeting with Gabriel d’Harcourt, general manager”specifies the title in a press release.

Management denounces an “error” on the front page

Journalists from the regional daily, who had denounced a “inadmissible editorial interference”, have been on strike since Friday and were supported by other colleagues, including those of other titles owned by Franco-Lebanese billionaire Rodolphe Saadé. However, they are maintaining a rally planned for Monday morning in front of the newspaper’s headquarters in Marseille because “many questions remain”indicated an elected official from the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) in La Provence. “We remind you that the headline cited for the layoff was not problematic”he added.

The crisis started with the announcement of the dismissal of Aurélien Viers for the front page of Thursday’s regional daily, crossed out from the title “He [Emmanuel Macron] is gone and we are still here…”using the words of a resident of the impoverished town of La Castellane, in Marseille, interviewed on the inside page.

This quotation “was repeated on the front page, without being explicitly sourced. This error in the composition of the front page is problematic, some readers having believed that this quote came from drug traffickers. It is at the origin of the call to order from the director from the editorial team” estimates the management in its press release, which also apologizes to readers for the non-publication of the newspaper on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.