Overview
- The Société des journalistes (SDJ) of France 24 issued a sharp condemnation after a France 24 reporter says an attachée de presse tried to take her memory card and another demanded a non‑diffusion pledge during interviews for the film La Bataille de Gaulle.
- The SDJ described the incident as “of unprecedented gravity” in a communiqué published Thursday and called it a serious attack on press freedom that has increased anxiety among cultural reporters.
- The question that triggered the confrontation concerned a widely signed tribune by hundreds of cinema professionals who criticized Vincent Bolloré’s influence over French cinema, a dispute that already prompted Canal+ president Maxime Saada to say his group would not work with the signatories.
- Separate reporting says investigative journalists from Le Point who probed the film’s backstage have been blacklisted, an allegation that journalists and unions say illustrates broader intimidation and the risk of self‑censorship.
- The episode has renewed public debate about media and cultural independence in France and could prompt further scrutiny of how press access is managed at festivals and by film publicity teams.