Return with fanfare for Laurence Ferrari this Monday on CNews. In addition to her daily show "Punchline", from 6 pm to 8 pm (210,000 viewers on average in June against 62,000 a year earlier), the 54-year-old journalist inherits the morning interview, at 8:15 am from Monday to Friday. , where she replaces Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, absent for several months for health reasons but expected on Sunday. A homecoming for the former interviewer of "Dimanche +" on Canal + and presenter of the 20 hours of TF1. And marathon days between CNews and Radio Classique, where it takes place at midday.
Was it obvious to you to replace Jean-Pierre Elkabbach at the helm of the morning interview?
LAURENCE FERRARI. I have always told my boss Serge Nedjar that, if he needed me to lend a hand, he does not hesitate. It was vital for me that Jean-Pierre agreed because I have a lot of affection and respect for him. This challenge interests me and I return to my first love of the political interview in the pre-presidential year. I am looking forward.
How will you differentiate yourself from your predecessor?
Jean-Pierre is irreplaceable! The will is not only to make policies but to widen the interview to philosophers, intellectuals, economists, witnesses… We will give the floor to those who think about society and not only to those who have their noses in the handlebars.
One way to compensate for the shortage of political heavyweights?
I do not denigrate the political class. We have what we deserve. We deal with it. Perhaps there are fewer loudmouths than in the past, but today's policies are representative of a generation. In this pre-presidential year, candidates will declare themselves and there is the Covid context. Political speech therefore has its place.
You have sometimes tackled political guests on your board. Your way of marking your independence?
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I have no preconceived ideas. I have been practicing this profession for thirty years, I have experience and acquired a form of serenity in relation to exercise. For the interview, I will be very free in the way I ask my questions and I do not want to format myself, to lock myself in a register of aggressiveness. I will adapt by being firm in the responses expected from policies or in empathy and pedagogy.
We feel you have more freedom today ...
I freed myself from my image, from this weight, because I had presented the 20 Hours of TF1. I am very zen. What can be said about me no longer matters to me because I have nothing more to prove. I just want to do what I want in total freedom and being authentic, to give the best to my viewers.
Will you receive Roselyne Bachelot, your former columnist for the “Grand 8” on C8 (from 2012 to 2016) who became Minister of Culture?
Yes, like all ministers. I know her very well because we worked together for four years but that will not prevent me from asking her angry questions.
A year ago, you refused to integrate Eric Zemmour in your section. Does his presence on the air upset you?
Eric Zemmour could not have merged into the format of "Punchline" and it was better that he intervenes in a show apart. I am not upset. He expresses his opinions on the same basis as others.
Do you understand the decision to keep Jean-Marc Morandini on the air after his referral to correctional for "corruption of a minor over 15 years"?
It is not within my competence. I refer you to my boss and the issue of respecting the presumption of innocence.
Some point to CNews' drift towards a right-wing approach like the American channel Fox News. Does this development bother you?
I deny the word drift which has a negative connotation and which I find shocking in view of the work of our editorial staff. CNews is a channel where all opinions are expressed. The will is to deal with all the subjects that concern the French and to say things in a cash way. The growth of our audiences shows that our audiences love the way we approach them.
Your ex-husband Thomas Hugues is leaving the channel. He pointed to the evolution of news channels towards “channels of opinions and debates”. Others race for hearing. What do you think ?
For the seven years that I have been on this channel, we have been creating debate. There may be more, but nothing has changed in the way of working. This is not a race for hearing. The debate is in the DNA of an info channel. CNews differs in its way of treating subjects, its experienced journalists, perhaps our hindsight on information. The tone is not formatted there.