Overview
- Arcom formally placed CNews en demeure on Thursday, July 9, 2026, finding a March 20 report and panel show gave largely convergent, positive coverage of Rachida Dati and sharp criticism of other mayoral candidates.
- The regulator stressed that a mise en demeure is a formal warning that precedes possible sanctions, including fines, and said the decision reflects breaches of obligations on balanced presentation.
- CNews contested the finding, noting it aired a 25-minute speech by Emmanuel Grégoire the same night and arguing it offered differentiated coverage rather than favouring a candidate.
- To curb scheduling tactics that skew measured pluralism, Arcom said it will no longer count political appearances aired between midnight and 05:59 toward airtime balances starting October 1 and will set up an autumn monitoring 'veille' of the four TNT news channels ahead of 2027.
- Reporters without Borders had flagged that night-time replays materially affected measured access (reportedly about 39% of left‑wing airtime on CNews), a practice the regulator’s new rule is intended to curb and that could force continuous‑news channels to change late‑night scheduling.