The Élysée published a video on social media Monday evening to counter criticisms of Emmanuel Macron's media labeling proposal. The initiative aims to ensure reliability of news sites and social networks against disinformation. The response targets attacks from Pascal Praud and Philippe de Villiers, escalating the controversy.
Emmanuel Macron's media labeling proposal, first floated in 2018, was revisited at last year's États généraux de l’information. The president addressed it on November 19 before La Voix du Nord readers in Arras, and again last Friday during a discussion with Ebra group readers in the Vosges. He advocates a professional label managed by entities like Arcom and Reporters sans frontières to differentiate reliable media from those profiting from personalized ads, without direct state involvement.
« It’s not the state that should verify. If it’s the state verifying, that becomes a dictatorship. But journalists must guarantee to their readers that they have verified information with a deontology they uphold among themselves », Macron stated.
The controversy escalated Monday with Pascal Praud's CNews editorial, labeling the idea an « authoritarian temptation » from a president seeking to impose a « single narrative », and mockingly suggesting the name « Pravda ». Philippe de Villiers warned of a « totalitarian threat » akin to the « brown plague and red plague ». Le Journal du dimanche headlined: « Towards control of information. » Figures including Jordan Bardella, Bruno Retailleau, and David Lisnard compared it to Orwell’s « Ministry of Truth ».
In response, the Élysée released a video tagging these criticisms as « false information », paired with a message: « When talking about fighting disinformation sparks disinformation... ». Bardella retorted: « The official Élysée account attacking a private media says a lot about the Macronist presidency’s drift. » Retailleau quipped: « Reassure me: has this Élysée tweet been labeled? ». Éric Ciotti condemns an « illiberal drift », and Lisnard blasts the « stigmatizing and populist » communication.
This aggressive Élysée stance, unusual yet not unprecedented, has drawn widespread disapproval from opponents, highlighting tensions between the government and certain media outlets like those of the Bolloré group.