In the cinema, Yves Montant triumphs in The Wages of Fear. Eight years after the end of the war, the French of 1953 lived modestly, ignored unemployment, had (many) children – 800,000 births -, grumbled against the tax authorities, went on strike to oppose the increase in tax. retirement age – the project will be abandoned – and helplessly watch the waltz of governments, against a backdrop of political crises and the end of the colonial empire.
On May 16, 1953, Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, 29 years old, and Françoise Giroud, 36 years old, launched L’Express. Eyes fixed on a man, Pierre Mendès France, the one who said: “To govern is to choose”. But to choose, you need fair, independent and quality information. L’Express has found its mission, one which, seventy years later, continues to animate the 70 journalists in the editorial office.
This anniversary that we are celebrating is of course an ode to the past, that of the golden age of the French press. But it is also a unique moment to reaffirm our liberal values, our defense of secularism, our fight for rationality, our commitment to Europe. On the occasion of its second candle, L’Express quoted Molière on its front page: “The elders, sir, are the elders, and we are the people of now”. In 2023, L’Express is the newspaper of today, which tells you about tomorrow.
Wednesday October 18, L’Express invites you to the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique for an afternoon of exchanges and shared perspectives to understand the world today and project yourself into the next 70 years. All information is to be found here.