The Council of State requested on Friday a new examination of the approval of the FranceSoir site as an online press service, which gives the possibility of benefiting from public aid and tax advantages.
The Joint Commission of Publications and Press Agencies (CPPAP), made up of representatives of the State and press publishers, decided in November 2022 to withdraw this status from FranceSoir because the site lacked the “
character of general interest as regards to the dissemination of thought
”, one of the criteria set by decree.
But the company publishing the site had referred the matter to the Paris administrative court, which suspended this withdrawal of approval in January 2023.
An “irregular” procedure
Seized by the then Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, who contested this decision in summary proceedings, the Council of State annulled it but ordered the CPPAP “
to rule again on the request for renewal of the approval of francesoir.fr
” within two months, according to the decision made public.
The Elders of the Council of State considered that the procedure which led to the withdrawal of approval by the CPPAP had been “
irregular
”, a document not having been brought to the attention of the publisher of the site.
This was an opinion requested from the Directorate General of Health, according to which FranceSoir presented a danger to public health.
The online media FranceSoir, which has retained the name of a prestigious daily newspaper, has been accused for several years of relaying conspiracy theories, particularly concerning the Covid-19 epidemic.
The withdrawal of online press service status results in the loss of a tax exemption for donations, which represent the majority of the site's operating income, a reduced VAT rate, and complicates the procedures for journalists to obtain a press card.