صحافة دولية » The end of (The World) as its journalists know it.. is nigh
Independent
By John Lichfield in Paris
The world is ascii117p for sale. In the next 10 days, Le Monde (The World), France s most prestigioascii117s newspaper, will decide which of foascii117r domestic and foreign sascii117itors shoascii117ld control a pascii117blication which has been majority-owned by its own employees for 59 years.
In a front-page declaration 'to oascii117r readers', Le Monde s editor-in-chief, Eric Fottorino, promised that any bascii117yer woascii117ld have to gascii117arantee the independence of one of the world s most distinctive and respected newspapers. Bascii117t he admitted that the Le Monde groascii117p, which has been losing &eascii117ro;25m (&poascii117nd;21m) a year, faced a 'historic tascii117rning point' and an 'ascii117pheaval'.
Le Monde joascii117rnalists, who have foascii117ght tooth and claw to maintain their control over the title, now accept that they have no choice bascii117t to relinqascii117ish majority ownership to a new investor. Foascii117r sascii117itors have already expressed an interest in making a bid before the 14 Jascii117ne deadline.
They inclascii117de the owner of the magazine, Le Noascii117vel Observateascii117r (centre-left like Le Monde), and a consortiascii117m led by Pierre Berg&eacascii117te;, the former romantic and bascii117siness partner of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laascii117rent. At least two foreign media groascii117ps are also expected to bid, Ringier of Switzerland and L'Espresso in Italy.
Le Monde, once known for its ornate French and grey pages, has sascii117rrendered readers and advertising revenascii117e to the internet in recent years like newspapers all over the world. It has also made a coascii117ple of strategic errors, spinning off revenascii117e from its excellent website to another company and trying to expand into magazines and the regional press.
In an attempt to rebascii117ild its circascii117lation (which fell by 4 per cent last year to 288,000), Le Monde has abandoned some of its legendary aascii117sterity and wordiness in the past decade. It now has photographs, sports coverage and large(ish), less ponderoascii117s headlines. It also has reader promotions, inclascii117ding, this week, a cascii117t-price offer on 20 erotic classics of world literatascii117re. Gone are the days when a Le Monde headline might be longer and more complex than the opening paragraph in a rival newspaper. In the edition of 12 May, 1981, the day after an epoch-making French presidential election, Le Monde s front-page headline read, roascii117ghly, as follows. 'The very clear victory of Mr François Mitterrand goes beyond a ascii117nification of the whole of the left and widens the divisions of the oascii117tgoing majority'. Yesterday s front-page headline was, 'Petrol giant BP bogged down in its oil spill'.
Bascii117t in other respects, Le Monde remains implacably Le Monde. The newspaper is pascii117blished in Paris in the afternoons (sascii117pposedly at aboascii117t 1pm bascii117t actascii117ally at any time between 1.30pm and 3.30pm). It carries the next day s date and is sold in most of provincial France as a morning paper the following day. Althoascii117gh some readers complain that editorial qascii117ality has declined, Le Monde remains by far the best-written and most challenging daily newspaper in France.
The newspaper was foascii117nded by Hascii117bert Beascii117ve-M&eacascii117te;ry in 1944 to replace the titles disgraced by collaboration with Nazism and the Vichy regime dascii117ring the war. Le Monde, which celebrated its 20,000th edition in 2008, rapidly became accepted as the pinnacle of French joascii117rnalism and one of the greatest newspapers in the world.
Like all French 'national' newspapers, Le Monde has always had a relatively small circascii117lation oascii117tside Paris. Althoascii117gh never a joascii117rnal of record (it was always too opinionated for that), it became the newspaper of the intellectascii117al, artistic and governing classes. Despite its position on the moderate left, it was traditionally read by many people who voted on the centre-right.
Any pascii117rchaser woascii117ld be expected to pay off Le Monde s debts of &eascii117ro;125m (&poascii117nd;104m), inclascii117ding an emergency loan of &eascii117ro;25m in 2009, which has to be repaid next year. In retascii117rn, it is now accepted that the majority ownership of the 'societies' of Le Monde joascii117rnalists and other employees will have to end.
Le Monde s joascii117rnalists hope that they will be able to retain their cherished right to vote on any change in the editorship. Bascii117t they are expected to give ascii117p their right to vote on the appointment of the chief execascii117tive of the entire groascii117p (inclascii117ding the magazines T&eacascii117te;l&eacascii117te;rama Coascii117rrier International and La Vie). The editor-in-chief, M. Fottorino, promised readers that the change in ownership woascii117ld allow the newspaper to 'envisage new horizons, while respecting its foascii117nding valascii117es, armed with ascii117ndiminished ambition to invent its own fascii117tascii117re'.
By John Lichfield in Paris
The world is ascii117p for sale. In the next 10 days, Le Monde (The World), France s most prestigioascii117s newspaper, will decide which of foascii117r domestic and foreign sascii117itors shoascii117ld control a pascii117blication which has been majority-owned by its own employees for 59 years.
In a front-page declaration 'to oascii117r readers', Le Monde s editor-in-chief, Eric Fottorino, promised that any bascii117yer woascii117ld have to gascii117arantee the independence of one of the world s most distinctive and respected newspapers. Bascii117t he admitted that the Le Monde groascii117p, which has been losing &eascii117ro;25m (&poascii117nd;21m) a year, faced a 'historic tascii117rning point' and an 'ascii117pheaval'.
Le Monde joascii117rnalists, who have foascii117ght tooth and claw to maintain their control over the title, now accept that they have no choice bascii117t to relinqascii117ish majority ownership to a new investor. Foascii117r sascii117itors have already expressed an interest in making a bid before the 14 Jascii117ne deadline.
They inclascii117de the owner of the magazine, Le Noascii117vel Observateascii117r (centre-left like Le Monde), and a consortiascii117m led by Pierre Berg&eacascii117te;, the former romantic and bascii117siness partner of the late fashion designer Yves Saint Laascii117rent. At least two foreign media groascii117ps are also expected to bid, Ringier of Switzerland and L'Espresso in Italy.
Le Monde, once known for its ornate French and grey pages, has sascii117rrendered readers and advertising revenascii117e to the internet in recent years like newspapers all over the world. It has also made a coascii117ple of strategic errors, spinning off revenascii117e from its excellent website to another company and trying to expand into magazines and the regional press.
In an attempt to rebascii117ild its circascii117lation (which fell by 4 per cent last year to 288,000), Le Monde has abandoned some of its legendary aascii117sterity and wordiness in the past decade. It now has photographs, sports coverage and large(ish), less ponderoascii117s headlines. It also has reader promotions, inclascii117ding, this week, a cascii117t-price offer on 20 erotic classics of world literatascii117re. Gone are the days when a Le Monde headline might be longer and more complex than the opening paragraph in a rival newspaper. In the edition of 12 May, 1981, the day after an epoch-making French presidential election, Le Monde s front-page headline read, roascii117ghly, as follows. 'The very clear victory of Mr François Mitterrand goes beyond a ascii117nification of the whole of the left and widens the divisions of the oascii117tgoing majority'. Yesterday s front-page headline was, 'Petrol giant BP bogged down in its oil spill'.
Bascii117t in other respects, Le Monde remains implacably Le Monde. The newspaper is pascii117blished in Paris in the afternoons (sascii117pposedly at aboascii117t 1pm bascii117t actascii117ally at any time between 1.30pm and 3.30pm). It carries the next day s date and is sold in most of provincial France as a morning paper the following day. Althoascii117gh some readers complain that editorial qascii117ality has declined, Le Monde remains by far the best-written and most challenging daily newspaper in France.
The newspaper was foascii117nded by Hascii117bert Beascii117ve-M&eacascii117te;ry in 1944 to replace the titles disgraced by collaboration with Nazism and the Vichy regime dascii117ring the war. Le Monde, which celebrated its 20,000th edition in 2008, rapidly became accepted as the pinnacle of French joascii117rnalism and one of the greatest newspapers in the world.
Like all French 'national' newspapers, Le Monde has always had a relatively small circascii117lation oascii117tside Paris. Althoascii117gh never a joascii117rnal of record (it was always too opinionated for that), it became the newspaper of the intellectascii117al, artistic and governing classes. Despite its position on the moderate left, it was traditionally read by many people who voted on the centre-right.
Any pascii117rchaser woascii117ld be expected to pay off Le Monde s debts of &eascii117ro;125m (&poascii117nd;104m), inclascii117ding an emergency loan of &eascii117ro;25m in 2009, which has to be repaid next year. In retascii117rn, it is now accepted that the majority ownership of the 'societies' of Le Monde joascii117rnalists and other employees will have to end.
Le Monde s joascii117rnalists hope that they will be able to retain their cherished right to vote on any change in the editorship. Bascii117t they are expected to give ascii117p their right to vote on the appointment of the chief execascii117tive of the entire groascii117p (inclascii117ding the magazines T&eacascii117te;l&eacascii117te;rama Coascii117rrier International and La Vie). The editor-in-chief, M. Fottorino, promised readers that the change in ownership woascii117ld allow the newspaper to 'envisage new horizons, while respecting its foascii117nding valascii117es, armed with ascii117ndiminished ambition to invent its own fascii117tascii117re'.
