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France 2 Apologizes, Pulls 20h Report After Comedian Fakes Identity

The on-air correction highlights scrutiny of the newsroom’s source verification practices.

Overview

  • The person presented as “Arnaud Rolland” in a Dec. 1 segment on supermarket promotions was identified as humorist Mehdi Jibril, known online as “Mehdi tu connais.”
  • Léa Salamé announced the error on the Dec. 2 broadcast, stating a contributor had falsified his identity to appear in the report.
  • France 2 removed the piece from streaming and issued a rectification on X via the 20h account.
  • Jibril shared clips of the appearance on Instagram and TikTok under the title claiming he had pranked the newscast.
  • The incident feeds broader criticism of France Télévisions after recent on-air mistakes, and the broadcaster has not detailed new procedures or the specific verification steps that failed.