Victory for press freedom in Sarkozy video case
“Champagne.” Augustin Scalbert’s tweet on Monday could not have better expressed the joy and relief at Rue89, a leading French news website. After four years of legal procedures, a Paris judge had just announced he was dropping all charges against the journalist “for lack of evidence” in a case that was seen as a litmus…
French journalist indicted for ‘stealing’ Sarkozy video
French journalists are flabbergasted. One of their colleagues, Augustin Scalbert, a journalist with Rue89, a leading news Web site, has just been indicted by a Paris prosecutor under the charges of “stealing and keeping” a video belonging to the public television channel France 3. If the journalist is found guilty, this indictment can land him in…
Attacks on the Press in 2012: France
After five years of tension between the media and Élysée Palace under Nicolas Sarkozy, a new Socialist government sought to cool down the atmosphere. President François Hollande promised to review his predecessor’s policies on public broadcasting and to give up the presidential privilege of directly appointing its executives. The judiciary brought good news for the…
The long shadow of Spanish politics over public media
A recent wave of personnel changes at Spanish state-owned broadcaster Radio Televisión Española (RTVE) has raised concerns about political and ideological influence, with many fearing that journalists closer to the current conservative government are being promoted at the expense of those with alleged progressive views. It is the latest controversy in a long debate about…
Attacks on the Press in 2011: France
France’s press freedom record continued a downward slide, in large part because authorities attempted to violate the confidentiality of journalists’ sources and interfere with editorial decisions. Most of the recent cases stemmed from the “Bettencourt affair,” the alleged illegal financing of the presidential party by the billionaire Liliane Bettencourt. In 2010, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s office…
French news site must prove Uzbekistan is a dictatorship
When Lola Karimova, the Uzbek president’s youngest daughter, decided to sue the French online newspaper Rue89 in August for libel, she wanted to restore the reputation of her country. Or did she? Her case against one of the most irreverent Paris media outlets is slowly turning into a public relations fiasco for her and the…
Attacks on the Press 2010: Europe and Central Asia Developments
ATTACKS ON THE PRESS: 2010 • Main Index Europe and Central Asia Regional Analysis: • On the Runet, Old-School Repression Meets New Country Summaries • Armenia • Azerbaijan • Belarus • Kazakhstan • Kyrgyzstan • Russia • Serbia • Ukraine • Uzbekistan • Other nations CROATIA In November, the Municipal Court in Zagreb convicted six…