A difference of appreciation that the Superior council of audio-visual (CSA) does not intend to let pass.
Since May 10 and until June 18, the media gendarme has worked several times a week to record the speaking times of the lists of candidates and their supporters, in order to ensure that fair access to the media is respected. air before the regional elections which will take place on June 20 and 27.
However, from the period of May 10 to 28, the audiovisual policeman noted an imbalance at CNews.
In a decision taken on June 9, and published this Saturday in the Official Journal, the institution notes "that between May 10 and 28, 2021", the news channel "invited on the set of several of its programs. debate and information the candidate presented at the top of the list of the National Rally in Paris as part of the regional elections of June 20 and 27, 2021
(Editor's note: Philippe Ballard)
, nine times.
“Interventions which would therefore represent an overall duration of one hour according to the CSA, while CNews had only declared seven minutes.
“Major themes” of the campaign
The CSA underlines in its decision that CNews would have explained this enormous difference by maintaining that the candidate in question had not spoken the majority of the time on themes concerning the electoral campaign. “It emerges from the viewing of these sequences that the person concerned was presented, in almost all cases, in his capacity as a candidate, whether orally or by means of screen inserts. Moreover, the examination of the sequences also shows that he spoke, contrary to what the editor maintains, on major themes of the electoral campaign in view of the upcoming election in the Île-de-France region. France, such as public security ”, nevertheless ensures the institution of surveillance.
In an email to the CSA dated June 7, the channel would have even assured that the National Rally remained under-represented on its antenna compared to other political formations and that it therefore intended "to make up time for
[this ] list
”, which would further aggravate the imbalance noted by the CSA.
On the strength of these elements, the audiovisual policeman therefore decided to put CNews on notice.
A decision which implies that if this unfairness were repeated, a sanction procedure would then be opened against the channel.
On the side of CNews, which we contacted, we refuse to comment on this decision of the CSA.