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EFJ concerned by populist drift of France Soir management as owner backs far right in France
EFJ news release
DATELINE: 16/11/11
The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) today expressed its concern for the editorial independence of France Soir newspaper after its owner, the Russian oligarch Alexander Pugachev publicly declared his support for the French Far Right Presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen.
"We are appalled by the fact that the owner of France Soir, after proposing to axe nearly 90 jobs, now undermines the professional independence of all journalists of the newspaper by publicly declaring that he would vote for Ms. Le Pen at the French presidential elections of 2012," said EFJ President Arne König. "A moral crisis is added to a crisis of management."
Mr. Pugachev announced in the press on 11 November that he would vote for Marine Le Pen, the candidate of the extreme right party Front National. The announcement came shortly after a proposal to delete the print edition of France Soir and replace it with an online edition, destroying 89 jobs. Mr. Pugachev also said that he was willing to sell the newspaper for one "symbolic euro".
The EFJ reiterates that journalism is a public good and that journalists should not serve partisan interests. The xenophobic and populist views expressed by Mr. Pugachev, combined with his bad management, harm the editorial staff of France Soir, and consequently the credibility of the entire profession.
In this regard, the EFJ reminds Mr. Pugachev of the French Charter of ethics for journalists, which states that journalists "do not use the freedom of the press for their own interests" and urges him to respect the social and ethical standards of the journalists he employs.
The EFJ is the European group of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). In France, its members are the SNJ, the SNJ-CGT and the USJ-CFDT.
The EFJ represents over 260,000 journalists in over 30 countries.
For more information contact the EFJ at +32 2 235.2200
Last modified: Monday, November 21, 2011
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