2023-11-24 00:50:25
Astonishment has dominated the TV5Monde premises since Monday, November 20. That day, the information department of the French-speaking public channel published a press release regarding the interview of one of the spokespersons of the Israeli army, Olivier Rafowicz, by the journalist Mohamed Kaci. The interview took place live, November 15thduring the daily newspaper “64′, Le Monde in French”. The spokesperson was questioned about the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, in particular that carried out in Al-Shifa hospital.
“At the end of the interview conducted by the presenter of this edition, Mohamed Kaci, the journalistic rules, applicable to any interview, were not respected”judges the information department of TV5Monde in this press releaseconsidering that Mr. Kaci’s remarks give “the impression (…) that the methods of intervention of the Israeli army were equivalent to the strategy of Hamas, an organization considered terrorist by many States”. In addition, the channel’s information department “deeply regrets” that the interview is over “too abruptly”according to her, announcing that she “will take all necessary measures” pour “ensure factual and balanced information on the situation (…) in a context of great tension”.
From Tuesday, November 21, the section of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) of the channel deplored in turn the press release from the information department, considering that it “sounds like a disavowal” by Mohamed Kaci. Same support expressed by the SNME-CFDT section of TV5Monde displaying its “total solidarity” towards Mr. Kaci in a press release published the same day. “It is not admissible to consider that a journalist is partisan when he asks a question that disturbs his interlocutor”pleaded the union, judging that their colleague had respected the charter of ethics of Munich, a European reference in this area, “and, as such, it cannot be sanctioned”.
A “spontaneous and unprecedented” movement
On Wednesday, November 22, union representatives were invited to speak with information management for two hours. But the emotion goes beyond the unions in this television channel which no longer has a journalists’ society – a representative body aiming to defend editorial independence – since 2021.
In an internal letter that The world was able to consult, sent to the information department of TV5Monde on Wednesday November 22, some of the 400 members of the channel say they “very concerned” by the content of this public speech ” against “ by Mohamed Kaci. The letter is signed by 128 employees, freelancers, intermittent workers or collaborators at the time we publish these lines. The movement is described as “spontaneous and unprecedented” by several journalists from this public company.
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