Several dozen journalists gathered this Monday in front of the daily La Provence in Marseille to demand guarantees on the “independence of the editorial staff” after a crisis triggered by a front page on the visit of Emmanuel Macron deemed “ambiguous” by the management .
This gathering was maintained despite the reinstatement of the publication director, Aurélien Viers, laid off on Friday for this front page, a measure which led to a journalists' strike.
Despite the reinstatement of the editorial director, strong mobilization of La Provence journalists.
Aurélien Viers is present in the audience, pic.twitter.com/vbQAK2VA3Q
— JM Leforestier (@jmleforestier) March 25, 2024
“We are waiting for guarantees from the management of Provence on the independence of the editorial staff,” demanded Sylvain Pignol, elected SNJ to the CSE of this regional newspaper, which is owned by the shipowner CMA CGM of billionaire Rodolphe Saadé , based in Marseille.
“Our news is not the work of a(r)amateur”, “press freedom on the verge of death” or even “We cross-check the news, don’t cut off heads”, could we read on signs held up during the rally.
Faced with a journalists' strike since Friday, the management decided on Sunday to reinstate Aurélien Viers, who had been laid off following the front page of the daily on Thursday, crossed out with the headline "He (Emmanuel Macron, editor's note) is gone and we are is still there... "
“We make 364 front pages a year, there may be mistakes made”
The management considered that this sentence, attributed on the inside pages to an inhabitant of an impoverished city of Marseille where the Head of State had gone on Tuesday for an operation against drug trafficking, could give the impression that the newspaper gave voice to traffickers.
Aurélien Viers was present in front of the newspaper on Monday.
“I obtained sufficiently strong guarantees on Sunday to come back to work and tell myself that I could work with the editorial staff in complete editorial independence, without pressure,” he declared.
Regarding the front page he explained: “There was an error in writing a quote without knowing who the author is, there is an ambiguity (...) so I think we can recognize that.
It doesn’t matter, we make 364 front pages a year, there may be mistakes made.”
The strike could continue
Sylvain Pignol explained to him that the trade union organizations of La Provence were demanding “the publication of a text to our readers, signed by the editorial staff, which explains the reasons for our movement and which affirms that there was no error ".
It is also necessary to "strengthen" the charter of independence and ethics, "in particular with a system which should make it possible not to decide to lay off the editorial director without any discussions, without any consultation", demanded Mr. Pignol.
A general assembly on Monday afternoon should make it possible to decide whether or not to continue the journalists' strike.