The Paris School of Journalism (ESJ) has just been taken over by a group of conservative media industrialists, including the controversial Vincent Bolloré. An announcement which worries the sector where the majority of press titles are already owned by billionaires.
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While the concentration of the media in the hands of a handful of billionaires is the subject of numerous criticisms in FranceFriday’s announcement of the takeover of ESJ Paris by media investors did not go unnoticed. Especially since among these billionaires, several are known for their conservative ideology, such as the bosses of the Dassault and CMA Médias groups or the very controversial Vincent Bolloré. La Financière Agache (owned by Bernard Arnault, who also owns The Parisian And the Echoes) and Bayard presse (The Cross, Phosphorus) are also among the buyers.
In a press release published by the institution, we can read that this buyout will make it possible to “ make this school a mecca of journalistic excellence, a reference training center where the contours of tomorrow’s journalism are taking shape “. ESJ Paris hears “ notably strengthen its position of reference in the field of journalism education, particularly in economics “.
“The temptation to train people who conform to an ideology”
But the private interests behind this takeover make some people cringe and fear a new attempt by billionaires to expand their influence in the media world. “ The takeover of this journalism school by a consortium of media owners worries us. We warn of the risk of conservative formatting favorable to the interests of the powerful », worried the CFDT Journalists on X.
The presidency of the establishment will be entrusted to Vianney d’Alançon (present in the buyers via its structure, Financière de La Lance). This Catholic entrepreneur behind Rocher Mistral, a sort of Provençal Puy du Fou, will therefore take the place of Guillaume Jobin. The latter, in a message posted on the school website, wrote that he left “ room for young people “. “ The school remains, as it has for 125 years, the school of journalism for all French people and all French speakers, not for a minority or a Parisian coterie which only represents itself. », he adds.
For Alexis Lévrier, media historian, it is obvious that behind this takeover, “ there is a desire to train students who will correspond to the ideological orientation of these media “. “ In the case of Vincent Bolloré above all, it is obvious that there is the temptation to ensure that journalism forgets taking reality into account, forgets working on the facts and puts itself at the service of ideology », he analyzes.
This takeover is one more opportunity for these “ billionaires who have an assumed political project » to degrade the image of recognized schools. “ Permanently, at Pascal Praud [animateur sur la chaine CNews détenue par Vincent Bolloré, NDLR] for example, there are already hostile speeches against these journalism schools, in particular at ESJ Lille which is the best known, where it is claimed that it is a training course for “leftists”of “woke” and that it would then corrupt the entire profession », explains Alexis Lévrier, who also mentions the Free Institute of Journalism.
Unrecognized school
Founded in 2018, this establishment maintains close ties with several political and media networks of the French conservative right, including Vincent Bolloré’s group and the media of conservative Catholic billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin, according to an investigation by the World. Today, several of his former students, some of whom have been involved in radical right-wing organizations, have been hired in various media outlets. According to the investigation of World45% were recruited by groups affiliated with the far right.
However, the impact of this announcement must be tempered because although ESJ Paris can boast of being “ the oldest journalism school in the world », it is not among the 14 schools recognized by the profession. “ They will continue to receive quality training, to learn the values of journalism and the ethics of the press far from any political commitment. It is the day when these schools are taken over by the shareholders that we will really have to worry », concludes Mr. Lévrier.
Moreover, besides the conservative billionaires, there are four or five other large shareholders “ including the Bayard group which does not have this habit », comments Alexis Lévrier who is surprised to see the owner of The Cross alongside that of CNews. According to a source close to the matter cited by The Worldit is precisely because Vincent Bolloré would have been one of the first to join the ESJ buyout consortium that the opportunity was extended to Rodolphe Saadé, Vincent Montagne and even Bayard Presse. “ To avoid too strong a hold by the conservative billionaire “.