2023-08-16 21:03:34
An emblematic face of French television, an esteemed journalist who spent more than three decades in public service, has suddenly disappeared at the age of 71. The tourist plane piloted by Gérard Leclerc, and in which were two other people, crashed in the Loire estuary (Loire-Atlantique), Tuesday August 15.
Read also: Journalist Gérard Leclerc was piloting a passenger plane that crashed between Nantes and La Baule
The cabin of the aircraft has been located, but, for the time being, only two remains and the fragment of another body have been found. “Research is continuing, but there are a lot of currents. It’s very swampy there.”, explained the mayor of La Baule, Franck Louvrier, interviewed on the CNews channel, Wednesday August 16. Gérard Leclerc was to land in this city in the west of France to attend a concert by his half-brother Julien Clerc, Thursday August 17.
Gérard Leclerc was born on September 2, 1951 in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Hauts-de-Seine), four years after Paul-Alain Leclerc (the birth name of Julien Clerc). They grow up sharing the same room and listen to the radio at night in bed. Both have the same father, Paul Leclerc, a senior official at Unesco. His second wife, Ghislaine Téry, musician and harpsichordist, takes care of a large family of six children. Every summer, they travel across Europe together in a large Citroën station wagon. Gérard Leclerc will draw from it the passion for travel and adventure.
A graduate in history from the University of Paris-I, he graduated top of the class of 1976 at Sciences Po and maintained strong ties with his school throughout his life. In 2004, when the Sciences Po School of Journalism was founded, Gérard Leclerc became a teacher there. He was there recently. “He was curious, attentive and very caring with the students”describes Alice Antheaume, executive director of the school. “He was wetting the shirt to push us to tear ourselves away”remembers his former student Ben Barnier, now a journalist at France Télévisions.
“A demanding boss”
After an internship at MondeGérard Leclerc learned journalism in the field as a reporter for Europe 1, between 1978 and 1981. It was there that he met Julie (real name Chantal Séloron), host and pillar of the station, with whom he married in 1981. The journalist specialized in the economic and social service of Europe 1, before making a short stint at RMC in 1985.
The same year, he joined the economy department of Antenne 2 (which became France 2 in 1992) as deputy chief, then editor-in-chief. For three decades, the journalist will be one of the leading faces of public service, appreciated for his professionalism and good nature. Editor-in-chief of “Télématin” between 1992 and 1997, he was in charge of the daily morning political interview for the program “Les Quatre Vérités” and saw many politicians pass by, many paying tribute to him since the announcement of his death.
You have 51.23% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.
#Death #journalist #Gérard #Leclerc #face #French #television