Official clips, regulated display, strict equality in the media… A completely different campaign started on Monday in France: the official campaign. 15 days before the first round of the presidential election, televisions and radios like RFI must now offer the exact same speaking and airtime to the 12 candidates in the running, regardless of their electoral weight. A headache for the media, a boon for the candidates with the most withdrawals in the polls.
It is a democratic principle to guarantee balanced information to citizens. So in the TV and radio towers, we tear our hair out to be in the nails, because equality between the 12 presidential candidates must be ensured for each time slot. There is no question of rebroadcasting meetings at night, as was the case in the past.
►Also listen : Headlines: presidential in France, the campaign officially open
As for the highest candidates in the polls, favored until yesterday, we also scrutinize the counters and try to be strategic. To ensure maximum dissemination at Emmanuel Macron’s first meeting this Saturday, his supporters are, for example, asked to save their saliva this week. And it is the party that distills the passes to go on the sets.
►Also listen : The official campaign of the 1st round
Small satisfied candidates
The left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon will put the package on social networks which are not regulated in terms of speaking time.
Only satisfied, the candidates with the lowest voting intentions. From today, Jean Lassalle, Nathalie Arthaud, Philippe Poutou or even Nicolas Dupont-Aignan have the same air time as the heavyweights of the election.
