Meeting at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, the States General of Information have just delivered their conclusions, Thursday, September 12, 2024, after eleven months of work.
The result was a 350-page report. States General chaired by Bruno Patino, the boss of Arte, who took them over after the resignation of Bruno Lasserre, and more after the sudden death of Christophe Deloirethe former head of RSF.
For Bruno Patino, the most important thing is probably that this report, resulting from 174 hearings and citizens’ assemblies, allows us to defend factual truths, and therefore journalism, in the face of these untruths that undermine public debate. We saw it again this week when Donald Trump claimed migrants were eating dogs and cats in Ohio or that they were pouring in by the millions from prisons and lunatic asylums. When the journalist set the record straight, he was accused by the Republican candidate of being biased.
What does the report recommend?
First, it is a question of combating disinformation by promoting quality information on networks through a reliability label, to which the media would subscribe, and which could be favored in algorithms, both with the public and advertisers. This is the whole meaning of the Journalism Trust Initiative, promoted by RSF, which also welcomes the fact that the report resumes its measures on the protection of the confidentiality of sources and legislation against gagging procedures that aim to silence journalists. The report also suggests that part of the tax on digital services, the famous GAFA tax, be allocated to information.
A report criticized
Carine Fouteau from Mediapart reproaches him for forgetting ” the real enemies of the right to know ” who are the political and economic actors. The report refuses to recommend a right of approval for editorial offices to appoint their director, as exists in World or to Echoeswhile this is what the striking journalists were demanding JDD after the purchase of their title by Bolloré and the imposition of a director from Current values.
Instead, the report suggests that joint ethics committees be set up where shareholder choices can be discussed, which is unlikely to dissuade them much, even if the idea of making the presidents of journalist companies protected employees is retained. But what is sought is a balance between the right to information and the right to undertake. It is now up to the government to arbitrate this “Macron-compatible report” which nonetheless contains avenues for improvement.
Also listen toGeneral information conference to “raise citizens’ awareness against foreign interference”