Several of the journalists is alleged to have state secrets to be published. They were interrogated by the secret service. The French media are now worried that press freedom was under President Emmanuel Macron is in danger.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has a very unique understanding of how to work journalists have
About 100 people sitting in a cafe in the centre of Paris, and watch a Video. It shows how journalists of the new Online medium to Disclose in the video material on the Yemen-war French tanks have been identified. One of the authors, the Investigative Journalist Mathias Destal, explains why he and his Team believe, the French national armaments company Nexter have supplied arms and tanks to Saudi Arabia, which were then used in Yemen against civilians. And why do you believe that the French government knew about it.
The report shocked the audience in the Café. He triggered a sharp reaction of the French government, which is happening because of “betrayal of state secrets” against journalists. The coverage of the Disclose is based on files that were classified as “secret”.
Intimidation?
Destal, and two other journalists of the media were interviewed by the secret service. “Two female officers took us in reception and took us to an interrogation room four floors below the earth. That was pretty intimidating,” he explains. Countless questions were based on the guidelines of the editorial staff, the financing of Disclosure and whether Destal understand what is meant by the term “state secret”.
Mathias Destal (left) and his colleagues are angry the government with Reports about French weapons in the Yemen war
“One of my colleagues has even been interviewed about some of his Twitter and Facebook posts that had no relation to the report,” said Destal. Only one question referred to him, according to the sources of the journalists. For Destal is a clear pointer of the fact that everything was just an attempt to scare him.
“As a Journalist, you’ll be sued for slander, usually before a special court. But in this case, the investigators do not seem to ensure the accuracy of our reports out of the question.” Another indication for Destal: The investigation will not be conducted by independent judges, but by the state’s attorney, of “is, at least formally, under the authority of the Ministry of justice”. On Destal five years in prison and a fine could face up to 75,000 euros.
Disclose is not the only Medium that is being addressed by the government. In the past three months, the secret service interviewed eight journalists from different publications, as well as the managing Director of the newspaper “Le Monde”. The topic of the history of the weapons in Yemen, but also the reporting in the so-called Benalla affair was not there. A former security staff of the President of Macron, Alexandre Benalla, is accused of having overstepped his powers. In the meantime, published press associations a guide to what you should do to journalists when they are heard.
“Attack on Investigative journalism”
Pauline Ades-Mevel, spokeswoman in the Paris headquarters of the non-governmental organization “reporters without borders” said, all these incidents add up to an attack on the French investigative journalism as a whole. “The fact that the interviewed secret service to journalists, is a Problem, but it becomes a huge Problem when so many journalists are heard in such a short period of time,” she says.
Pauline Ades-Mevel “reporters without borders” for fear of negative repercussions for other Investigative journalists
Court costs of the proceedings to journalists the time and resources that you cannot invest in further research, says Ades-Mevel. The whole process shrink from in addition, possible sources, and have an intimidating effect on other Investigative journalists: “in the future they will think twice about certain stories to pursue.”
Jean-Marie Charon, a rating of the allegations in a broader context. The media specialist and researcher at the University of Paris EHESS thinks that, for France, for freedom of the press back steps: “In the past few years, there’s been a couple of laws that strengthen the fight against terrorism, and trade secrets to protect. These laws restrict increasingly the opportunities for journalists to work freely.”
Like a stitch nest to wasps
Charon is also the concern that journalists were also taken during the protests of the “yellow West”movement, which became from demonstrations against a new fuel tax to protests against the political Elite, to the visor,
“The police beat journalists or confiscated or destroyed their Material in 105 cases”, the media, scientists. All of this – the charges, the new laws, the crackdown – “emits the message that there are areas where journalists should better leave the fingers”.
Media scholar Jean-Marie Charon provides for restrictions on the freedom of the press in France
French heads of state often had a difficult relationship with the media. Charon thinks, with Emmanuel Macron, it had become worse than some of his predecessors: “to believe Macron seems that the press must be kept under control. On various occasions, he had a bit of a know-it-alls, who explained to the journalists how they should do their Job, and said, the media would report about a Lot of things, but not about the important things.”
A question of Definition
Raphael Gauvain denies, however, that journalists would be about the dimensions of the target. “We are not trying to muzzle the press,” says the MP from Macrons party La République en Marche. “Investigations are absolutely normal, if state secrets were released. Yes, the secret service has carried out the surveys, but they work for the Prosecutor, not the Minister of justice.”
In the view of the members of Raphael Gauvain the power of government with the interrogation of the journalists is nothing wrong with that
The MP calls for trust in the “functioning democracy” and in the justice system. “The latter will finally decide what has priority: our state secrets or the freedom of the press,” says Gauvain.
Media scientist Charon, by contrast, holds that The government expand the Definition of “state secret,” he says. He could understand, if the word could be used to protect the lives of soldiers in Mali, for example. “But in this case it would only help the government to save face. So it should not be.”
Investigative Journalist Destal is, meanwhile, determined to continue his work – right now.