French Public Media Inquiry Concludes as Rapporteur Prepares Report and Pledges Legal Referrals

Overview

• Delphine Ernotte’s second appearance closed the commission’s 67 hearings on Wednesday after roughly 234 people were questioned over five months.
• Rapporteur Charles Alloncle now has about two weeks to finalize conclusions before a vote on April 27 that could block publication and remove the hearings’ videos and minutes from official sites.
• Alloncle says he received testimonies alleging France Télévisions used costly confidentiality deals to buy silence in sexual‑violence cases, and he says he will refer these claims to prosecutors.
• Ernotte disputed the rapporteur’s budget claims, saying France Télévisions costs households a little under €3 per month versus €4 in 2015 and operates with about €600 million less in real terms, while Alloncle argues state funding rose by roughly €136–140 million since 2015.
• The UDR-requested probe followed a leaked video that fueled bias claims, and with Arcom’s impartiality review due at the end of May, surveys cited by lawmakers show most French people still view public media as important to democracy.