During hearings on February 4 and 5, 2026, before the parliamentary inquiry commission on public broadcasting, Culture Minister Rachida Dati and former ministers unanimously defended the struggling sector. They criticized the biased questions from rapporteur Charles Alloncle, while a tense incident pitted him against the commission president. Dati called for preserving public broadcasting without weakening it.
The parliamentary inquiry commission on public broadcasting, created at the request of Eric Ciotti's Union des droites pour la République (UDR), allied with the Rassemblement national and advocating privatization, saw a shift on February 4 and 5, 2026. For the first time in two months, hearings allowed defense arguments for the sector to be heard, despite the biased approach of rapporteur Charles Alloncle (UDR, Hérault).
On Wednesday, February 4, the hearing of four former Culture ministers – Aurélie Filippetti, Franck Riester, Roselyne Bachelot, and Rima Abdul Malak – along with figures like Laurence Bloch, former director of France Inter from 2014 to 2022, showed unanimity in support of public broadcasting. Their factual responses countered questions on Delphine Ernotte's performance bonus, cost/audience comparisons with private media, or the 'hyperconcentration' of production companies for France Télévisions.
A tense exchange pitted president Jérémie Patrier-Leitus (Horizons) against rapporteur Alloncle, the latter suggesting links to the Mediawan group. The hearing was suspended over these 'very serious accusations.' The next day, Patrier-Leitus called for a 'dignified and respectful framework.'
On Thursday, February 5, Rachida Dati, heard for nearly three hours, stressed that 'French public broadcasting must be preserved' and 'we must not weaken it. We must work together.' On the critical financial situation of France Télévisions highlighted by the Cour des comptes, she recalled non-profitable public service missions and stated that 'the State will take its responsibilities,' while advocating structural reform and a common holding project. On impartiality, she referred to the Arcom regulator.
Dati reprimanded Delphine Ernotte for calling CNews a 'far-right channel' in September, deeming it 'not clever.' She also addressed the Legrand-Cohen affair, where public broadcasters were accused of collusion with the Parti socialiste after a September video showing Thomas Legrand saying: 'We do what it takes for [Rachida] Dati, Patrick [Cohen] and me.' Dati criticized this vocabulary as inappropriate but deemed secret recordings 'unacceptable.'
Dati's hearing proceeded calmly, contrasting with the commission's usual tensions. This is not Alloncle's first controversy; he was called to order by the Assemblée president in December 2025, and four deputies are requesting another sanction.
