The Facts
Staff at France’s major public broadcasting groups are striking for two days to protest controversial government plans to merge their services into a media giant.
Public broadcasting unions called for protests on Thursday and Friday against a reform of public broadcasting that was voted on by the Senate in June 2023, but extensively amended in the National Assembly committee in mid-May.Staff at France’s major public broadcasting groups are striking for two days to protest controversial government plans to merge their services into one major public broadcasting service.
The Spin
French public broadcasting is already in decline and employees are facing increasing insecurity and job losses due to restructuring and austerity measures. As powerful multinationals increasingly restrict the public sphere in favor of the mainstream, public service broadcasting is crucial for unbiased opinion-forming in a democratic and pluralistic society. The new bill will further erode the financial and editorial autonomy of public service broadcasting and must be stopped.
In a world of increased competition between traditional media platforms and the internet - particularly social networks - a restructuring of public service broadcasting is vital to make it more competitive and stronger. Fears that the quality of reporting will suffer as a result are unfounded, as the bill will not standardize professions or activities. In fact, the joint holding company already exists and as the status quo is untenable, the reform must now finally be implemented.
As far as the reporting quality is concerned, the debate about merging the French public broadcasters is irrelevant. If it ever was, French reporting has long since ceased to be "free and independent," as the Gaza war coverage in recent months proved yet again. French public broadcasting journalists may be worried about their jobs, but obviously not about journalistic standards. For the media to fulfill their democratic function, reforms of a systemic nature are needed.