France Inter and France Télévisions faced criticism on Thursday from several trade unions after hiring Charles Sapin, deputy editor of Valeurs actuelles, as a political commentator. At France Télévisions, the CGT, CFDT and SNJ unions demanded his removal from franceinfo TV, accusing the broadcaster of normalising far-right media.
In a statement, the unions said the decision was fuelling a sense of unease among France Télévisions staff, coming just months after a parliamentary inquiry into public broadcasting concluded. They described Valeurs actuelles as the heir to a long and dark tradition of the French far-right press, with its methods and its hatreds, and accused the magazine of having contributed significantly to a violent disinformation and denigration campaign against public broadcasters.
Unions reject pluralism argument
The CGT, CFDT and SNJ also rejected the argument of pluralism used to justify Sapin's arrival. They said that importing the methods of CNews and recruiting journalists from Valeurs actuelles was not the same as strengthening pluralism.
France Télévisions defended Sapin's presence on its channels. Asked by the news agency AFP, management said he appears on Sundays opposite Rokhaya Diallo, an anti-racism activist, as part of a debate format built on a clash of differing viewpoints. Management added that he also takes part occasionally in the programme "Avant le 20h," alongside other outside guests.
Valeurs actuelles is a French weekly magazine generally identified with the far right. CNews is a French news channel that has also been widely criticised for giving prominent airtime to far-right commentators. Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist and activist known for her work on anti-racism.
Radio France defends 'pluralism'
The dispute also extends to France Inter, where Sapin is due to deliver a political commentary every Sunday. The public radio station's management has justified the choice as a way of guaranteeing pluralism ahead of a presidential election year. Radio France's management is now facing a strike notice filed by the station's inter-union body for Sunday 13 and Monday 14 September.
The unions are demanding that the commentary slot be scrapped, but Radio France's chief executive, Sibyle Veil, has held her ground. She defended the decision to give a platform to people who do not think the same way, even as Sapin's arrival continues to stir tension within French public broadcasting.
Background to the dispute
France Télévisions and Radio France are France's main public broadcasting groups, funded largely by public money and expected under French law to ensure balanced representation of political viewpoints. The CGT, CFDT and SNJ are among the largest unions representing journalists and media workers in France.
The controversy follows a separate, related dispute at Radio France, where staff have already voted for industrial action over the same commentator's hiring.
