French Media Regulator Orders CNews to Ensure Pluralism
- On Monday, France's media regulator Arcom ordered CNews to comply with pluralism and diversity rules, placing the ultra-conservative network owned by billionaire Vincent Bollore one step away from disciplinary action.
- Arcom head Martin Ajdari said a review of coverage showed "structurally unbalanced", one-sided output, prompting the probe after a complaint from international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders reviewed airtime from last year.
- Critics often liken the channel to Fox News for its polarizing tone and focus on immigration, while French broadcasting law requires outlets to ensure "honest, independent and pluralistic" coverage including diverse viewpoints.
- In a statement, CNews called the decision an "unjustified infringement of these fundamental democratic principles," while Arcom recently served a formal notice to public broadcaster Radio France for underrepresenting the National Rally.
- Arcom can impose fines and ultimately strip a channel of its broadcasting licence, a move occurring less than a year before a presidential election in which far-right candidates are frontrunners.
19 Articles
19 Articles
The chain of Vincent Bolloré brandishes freedom of expression. Not only does the Arcom show that it is the freedom of a single expression but also that CNews has multiplied the offences for ten years in
On Vincent Bolloré's channel, the media regulatory authority highlights an “over-representation of a current of thought and opinion” characterized by “a focus” on “the threat that immigration and Islam would represent for French society”, among others.
French audio-visual regulation is getting tougher. L的Arcom is calling CNews for failure to comply with pluralism, after seeing a "structural imbalance" in its programmes. The chain is now facing a risk of...
Referred to in January by RSF, the audiovisual regulator calls on the extreme right-wing chain to "have presented a manifest and lasting imbalance in the expression of currents of thought and opinion." A first step ahead of potential sanctions.
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Bias Distribution
- 46% of the sources are Center
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