The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, adopted by France in 1789 to enshrine the principles of the French Revolution, noted that “the free communication of thoughts and of opinions is one of the most precious rights of man: any citizen thus may speak, write, print freely”.
Today’s French constitution echoes that same defence of the “freedom, pluralism and independence of the media”.
And yet, media pluralism is at risk in France. Yes, in France.
This may surprise outsiders who tend to think of Poland or Hungary when considering threats to media freedom in Europe.
But pluralism is also an issue in France because of the expanding reach and power of the Bolloré Group. This family-owned conglomerate is already the principal shareholder of Vivendi, a global company that owns leading assets in television and movies, in advertising, PR, publishing and in digital content distribution. The Bolloré Group is now trying through Vivendi to acquire its rival the Lagardère Group, a merger that can only go through if it is approved by the European Commission. » | Julia Cagé and others | Wednesday, November 30, 2022
