In an era of widespread misinformation, we must rethink how the world’s media organisations can regain press independence.
On Saturday, in Trappes, a suburb west of Paris, hundreds of residents gathered to mourn Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old man shot dead on 23 October. During the attack, a gunman opened fire from a car, killing Wangi and injuring seven people, including a 12-year-old girl, in what police have called a terrorist act motivated by racism. Among the banners displayed at vigils was one that read “CNews Kills”. The broadcaster, which runs one of France’s most watched rolling-news channels, has consistently portrayed Trappes as an Islamist hotbed and the suspect in the shooting told investigators that he had chosen the area in order to target Muslim and African people. Speaking to investigative newspaper Mediapart, his friends described how he had become consumed by the racist rhetoric that he watched on television.
In the days following the Trappes killing, public outrage crystallised around a petition demanding that CNews be banned, which gathered more than a million signatures and triggered calls for a debate in the Assemblée Nationale. CNews features relentless punditry and misinformation, and normalises guests with racist views. Inspired by Rupert Murdoch’s Fox News, the channel has been transformed under the ownership of billionaire Vincent Bolloré – whose media empire includes Canal+ – as part of an avowed strategy to bring the far right to power. Despite its clear breaching of France’s anti-hate legislation, CNews is able to weather the storm of financial penalties thanks to its owner’s deep pockets. Arcom, the country’s media regulator, has so far issued fines totalling €630,000.
In 2024, Arcom revoked the broadcasting licence of C8, a major entertainment channel also owned by Bolloré, due to its promotion of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Experts, however, argue that banning CNews is not only constitutionally impossible but also that it would come too late. The channel’s rhetoric has permeated other rolling-news channels, including formerly trusted public broadcasters. A ban could also benefit Marine Le Pen by opening the door to an Viktor Orbán-style assault on media freedom were she to come to power in next year’s presidential elections.
Instead, regulators must bring stricter scrutiny to bear on media acquisitions by introducing safeguards against excessive ownership concentration and protecting outlets so that they can survive without billionaire owners. The public must be convinced that supporting independent journalism is an investment in the future of democracy. In an age of information warfare, media pluralism is a matter of national security. For those already bearing the consequences of a failure to act, the stakes could not be higher. As night fell on Saturday, Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh addressed the crowd. “To the free press of this country: refuse them the right to call themselves peers of your wonderful calling and to let far-right activists hide behind a press card. Realise that you are their next target. Open your eyes, before it is too late.”
Antoine Gouillon is a Paris-based journalist. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
