2023-09-29 00:04:45
The setback is severe for the management of the Les Echos-Le Parisien group. The journalists of the economic daily rejected, Thursday, September 28, the candidacy of François Vidal for editorial management, proposed a week earlier, unanimously, by the supervisory board of the Echos. While 231 people, out of the 245 registered, took part in the vote which was held throughout the day, 164 votes against were counted, sixty for, seven blanks and fourteen abstentions. “Voting is the only way we have to express ourselves. We spoke out”soberly comments an editor, who prefers to remain anonymous.
By vetoing 66.9% of those registered, the journalists made it known that they were denying François Vidal, interim editorial director, his ability to allow them to exercise their profession with the greatest possible freedom. A demand that they have been repeating since his predecessor, Nicolas Barré, in office for ten years, was suddenly dismissed from office in March.
Not only was this ousting done without the approval of the supervisory board – therefore bypassing the rights of the editorial staff – but it took place after the publication of articles which had supposedly displeased Bernard Arnault, the CEO of the luxury group LVMH and owner of the Les Echos-Le Parisien group. Two reasons for turmoil which had reinforced the firmness of the Society of Journalists in the preparation of yesterday’s ballot and the strictest respect for the editorial staff’s right of veto.
Also read the decryption: Article reserved for our subscribers In the daily “Les Echos”, the ousting of Nicolas Barré from the editorial directorship raises incomprehension
Monday morning, when François Vidal presented his editorial project to the editorial staff, his performance left some of its members wanting more. According to witnesses, the candidate for editorial director was not convinced of his real desire to encourage the revelation of information likely to displease economic players. He also did not provide a satisfactory answer on how news from the luxury group LVMH would be covered in the future.
Strategic foul
“At least he didn’t make us believe that he would be independent”scathed a journalist who thought that confidence would still be voted on.
But on Wednesday morning, the newspaper displayed as a “photo of the day” a photo taken from the Dior show the day before at Paris Fashion Week, accompanied by a laudatory caption which did not mention the links of the LVMH group, owner of the brand. luxury, with everyday life. Questioned about this strategic error, contrary to the newspaper’s ethical charter, François Vidal would not have really admitted his guilt, which could have contributed to “tipping” many votes into negative votes, explains a witness.
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