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Sébastien Thoen case: Canal + has lost its sense of humor

2020-12-19T18:28:54.475Z


After the comedian Sébastien Thoen, fired for a parody, the commentator Stéphane Guy risks suffering the same fate for having brought him


Thumbs up or thumbs down?

At Canal +, everyone is suspended from the fate reserved for Stéphane Guy, star sports commentator of the encrypted channel, who risks final exclusion.

Friday morning he was asked to explain himself.

"It doesn't smell good at all," predicts a house figure.

If that's it, we have to react.

At the risk of being fired too.

Others still want to believe it.

The sentence should fall within the week.

His fault?

To have supported on the air the humorist and columnist of the "Canal Sport Club" Sébastien Thoen, drily landed a week earlier for having parodied "The hour of the pros", hosted by Pascal Praud on CNews, the news channel in continuous group.

A video, among others, only published on the Web on behalf of Winamax, one of the main advertisers of Canal +.

In the process, Stéphane Guy, installed in the comments of the Montpellier-PSG match on December 5, evokes at the microphone “the friend Sébastien Thoen”, who had not had “the exit he deserved”, before wishing him “ good luck ".

At half-time, the voice of Canal + adds: “You have to be wary of comedians because sometimes they say things as a joke.

"

For having defended Sébastien Thoen, sports journalist Stéphane Guy also risks eviction.

/ DPPI via AFP / Philippe Laurenson  

It did not make laugh at all the management of the channel, which must report to Vincent Bolloré, back to business in the management of the Canal + group.

At the time, the sports journalist, usually loyal to his company, received a red card, or a layoff, with immediate effect.

“It could have been settled discreetly,” says a trade unionist.

There, the objective was clearly to muzzle any criticism.

And let it be known!

"

"Terror in the Box"

It all started with a petition in support of Sébastien Thoen and calling for respect for freedom of expression signed the day before by 148 employees of the Canal + group, including some headliners who had nevertheless received friendly advice from do not get involved.

Among them, the presenter of the "Canal Sport Club" Marie Portolano, and the consultant of the "Canal Football Club" Habib Beye.

"A courageous stance, but which was immediately followed by a blow of the baton of the direction", entrusts an employee of Canal +.

Not enough to bend the former football player, but enough to intimidate the greatest number.

Twice Monday and once Tuesday, the director general of the Canal + group's antennas, Gérald-Brice Viret, and Frank Cadoret, director general of the channel, as well as the head of the Sports department, Thierry Cheleman, held videoconference speeches "rather benevolent, but very firm".

“We were told

You know the shareholder, it is not a strike that scares him

, reports one of the participants.

But the pill is hard to swallow.

“It confirms that there is no immunity, even for those who have a press card,” we slip internally.

"I haven't slept all week," confides a nervous journalist.

Faced with this dictatorial thought, we are faced with a real case of conscience.

Do we still want to work for these people?

"

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The message was clear: no more vague, otherwise it could serve Stéphane Guy and harm others.

And above all, no new petition.

A third of the first signatories had preferred to remain anonymous, for fear of reprisals, already.

So since Monday ... "The atmosphere in Sports is horrible, it's terror in the box", confirms a face of the service.

Especially since the channel could recover the rights to Ligue 1, after the Mediapro fiasco which will close, as CVs will undoubtedly flow in and the editorial staff could experience upheaval.

In other words, everyone fears for their position.

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And this deleterious atmosphere seems to extend beyond the sole Sports department.

Example of the ambient feverishness with Bertrand Usclat, the actor of the humor pastille Broute, who declared in Le Monde to have complete freedom on Canal +, with one "single exception: ban on criticizing CNews".

Before asking to remove this clarification from the digital version of the article.

The actor having made it known that he "feels threatened to suffer the same fate" as Sébastien Thoen, explained the journalist of the daily, who met him before the eviction of the comedian.

Silence is golden

Internally, some are also wondering about the absence of Raymond, regular columnist of "Touche pas à mon poste", on C8, after his position.

“Canal has always been the channel for all freedoms… Since always!

But there, total support for Stéphane Guy, ”he wrote on Twitter on December 10.

In his entourage, who feared possible sanctions, it was panic on board.

The latter, however, wishes to reassure: “My absence was foreseen.

I received no pressure from anyone.

»And to make an appointment in January.

Canal has always been the channel of all freedoms .. always !!!

But there total support for #StephaneGuy

- Raymond (@RaymondLeMatin) December 10, 2020

To ease tensions, management assured the editorial staff that Sébastien Thoen had admitted his fault. And accept what happens to him. "It's completely false," assures one of his relatives, who evokes the project of a new parody of Pascal Praud. To have. Because behind the scenes, negotiations are about to be successful between the disembarked comedian and the channel. Thoen, who had chained fixed-term contracts for seventeen years, should receive a comfortable allowance. On one condition: his silence, or the commitment not to denigrate Canal +, CNews, or any channel of the group. Contacted by the Parisian, the management declined to comment.

Source: leparis

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