Emmanuel Macron will answer questions from three journalists but also Internet users on Thursday, December 3, during a Facebook Live by Brut, an online media specializing in short videos on networks.
A choice that makes people talk: the Head of State will be interviewed in particular by the Brut reporter Rémy Buisine, recently at the heart of the news after having been "molested several times" by a police officer Monday, November 23, in Paris, during the vigorous evacuation of migrants from Place de la République.
However, if the executive turned to Brut, this choice has nothing to do with the current tense context, insists Guillaume Lacroix, the co-founder of the site.
This summer, he recalls, "we conducted an interview with Emmanuel Macron after the explosion in Lebanon".
“At that time, we were already discussing an interview with the youth.
We had agreed on a date at the end of November.
The schedule has been postponed to December 3, explains Guillaume Lacroix.
Brut has 13 million daily Internet users, including many young people.
The traditional media find it difficult to talk to them.
They are on the networks, where we are.
"For him," to obtain the interview of the president in this context shows the seriousness of our work and our power ".
"Young people will be able to ask frank questions"
Emmanuel Macron will therefore be interviewed on Facebook live by three journalists, including Thomas Snégaroff, historian and columnist in particular on France 5 in the program “C Politique” and Rémy Buisine.
The latter specialized in immersive reports for Brut, especially during social events such as those of the yellow vests.
“It will be long and we will deepen the subjects.
The choice of Rémy is obvious, assures Guillaume Lacroix.
Brut's first video was a Rémy Live on the day Emmanuel Macron entered the campaign in 2016. Since then, he's been the one who has mastered this format the best.
It was therefore legitimate.
He has also already conducted political talks.
"
The President of the Republic @EmmanuelMacron will answer questions from journalists and the Brut community in an interview broadcast live on Thursday, December 3.
pic.twitter.com/1UDYTEjimX
- Brut FR (@brutofficiel) November 30, 2020
The interview will be broadcast on several networks simultaneously, including YouTube and Twitter.
“We will take comments from people who will follow the Facebook live.
It will be a direct confrontation between the president and the French, where we can say things in spoken language with great sincerity.
In political discourse, certain concepts need to be explained.
There, young people will be able to ask frank questions, underlines the co-founder of Brut.
If there are comments of frustrations, it will be interesting to take them and confront the president with that anger.
On Snapchat, we have already made an exploding call for questions.
We will present these questions of young people to the president.
"
DIRECT - Lebanon: Brut is in the port of Beirut 1 month after the explosion, in the presence of Emmanuel Macron.
@RemyBuisine live https://t.co/GDRzJ7iUK5
- Brut FR (@brutofficiel) September 1, 2020
Brut plans to tackle themes that particularly affect the latter.
“We will deal head-on with the news like police violence.
We will be a few days away from the review of the law on separatism.
But we will also discuss secularism, the fact of being 20 years old in 2020, the Covid generation, etc.
», Lists Guillaume Lacroix.
"We never point a finger"
By choosing Brut, Emmanuel Macron highlights a media considered to be “outside” traditional channels, television, radio or written press.
“Our journalists have the press card.
Brut is a medium that just responds to new uses, insists his boss.
With my associates, we had a frustration in our work on television.
When we created it in 2016, people rolled their eyes and said
young people were not interested in information
, he said.
Four years later, we are the biggest social media in Europe, ahead of the BBC and in the top 5 in the USA.
We have two billion views per month across the world.
We are profitable in France and we will soon be in the USA.
The format we rely on, the conversation on networks, is very powerful.
"
If this success has been dazzling, it is also thanks to the support of France Télévisions, which manages the sales management of Brut.
“At the time, we had a business plan where we expected 20 million views per month after one year of activity.
That's what we did after… a month!
But Delphine Ernotte, the president of France Télévisions, believed in us.
She helped us at a time when we weren't in fashion.
"
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That's a fact. Many young people are turning away from traditional politics, but Guillaume Lacroix nevertheless sees a strong commitment from them. “That's why we tackle the fight against discrimination against LGBT +, minorities, women… But, we never point the finger. We are convinced that Internet users do not want to be told what to think. This is the reason for our appeal. "And to conclude:" We often speak of an attention crisis. So why do people watch hours of documentaries and series? There is just an evolution of uses. "
