Former staffers of the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) rented the Châtelet Theatre in Paris on Monday, October 9, 2023 to defend press freedom and alert the public to the urgent democratic crisis. Dubbed "The Night of Independence," the evening brought together musicians, comedians, actors, writers and journalists for a show lasting nearly two and a half hours. Here's our recap.
7:40 PM: smoke before life smokes you
Outside the Châtelet Theatre, a handful of journalists are networking and smoking a few cigarettes. We've been told it's a two-hour show, so it's best to make arrangements accordingly.
8:20 PM: star-studded audience
We enter the Theater. I tell my friend there's Arnaud Montebourg, he says no way, that's Fabien Roussel and down there look that's Alexis Corbière and earlier I saw Olivier Faure and Cécile Duflot. The usher asks us if we have a shiny sticker on our ticket. No. In that case it's open seating. We sit next to a colleague from StreetPress. A freelancer friend joins us. Higher up, colleagues from La Vie, Télérama, Radio France, Libération. We notice that on certain seats, there are names, like at the Cesars. Except here it says "Raphaëlle Bacqué", "Jean Massiet", "Julia Cagé".
8:35 PM: introduction
The lights go out and Olivier Py, the Director of Théâtre du Châtelet, appears on stage. He is very upset about fake news, he says the key word "trust" three times, and he thinks it's terrible that young people get their information from social media. A jolt. A man emerges out of nowhere on a balcony and starts yelling, playing the role of a newspaper hawker and calling for the protection of press independence.
8:50 PM: kamoulox
From that point on, Flavien Berger sang two very beautiful songs about endings and what lies ahead. Clara Ysé did as well, on the theme of resilience. Actress Lison Daniel took on the role of Rico, a former JDD journalist representing the editorial staff from before Geoffroy Lejeune’s time. Rico is bald and recounts his memories: the day he wrote a profile on Guy Joao, the man mistakenly identified as Xavier Dupont de Ligonnès, and the day he tried to write an article while he was drunk. We also had the honor of seeing François Morel via video call. He explained that he used to be an avid reader of the JDD and that it was crucial to defend free, independent, and critical speech. Guillaume Meurice added his own touch of humor, greeting us with “Hey, unemployed guys! Hey, unemployed gals!” joking that the JDD had devoted a few glowing front-page stories to Macron, and that karma could strike anyone. Actress Anna Mouglalis then took the floor to read an excerpt from George Orwell’s *1984*. It really gave us all a lot to think about.
9:30 PM: crowd going wild
Former JDD journalists take the stage. Standing ovation. They recount their forty-day strike, thanking the associations and trade unions that supported them. They also reflect on their mistakes. "Until now, we defended our ethics internally, we joined op-eds when they came up and that was enough for us. We only saw one piece of the puzzle and we got a wake-up call." And because the fight for editorial independence, balanced opinion and intellectual honesty is a long-term effort, these former journalists have decided to create an association. Named Article 34 (in reference to Article 34 of the Constitution which defines law and delimits its scope, knowing that the law has authority to set the rules concerning freedom, pluralism and press independence), the journalists explain wanting to take part in a "collective effort" to "change the legislative framework". More details will surely emerge in their Monday Journal, a special edition partly prepared tonight and to be published on October 16 on their website.
10 p.m.: solutions
Jean Massiet welcomes Leïla de Comarmond (Les Échos), Raphaëlle Bacqué (Le Monde), Antton Rouget (Mediapart) and Simon Blin (Libération). All represent the Press Association of their respective newspaper and emphasize the importance of securing editorial independence guarantees from shareholders. "This isn't a question of right or left, of good or bad. What matters is that when shareholders have power, they can abuse it," Raphaëlle Bacqué points out. At Le Monde, the shareholder cannot appoint an editor-in-chief without consulting journalists. The principle works as follows: the shareholder nominates a candidate (most often a journalist from the newsroom) and that person must be elected by at least 65% of votes cast by the newsroom. The same applies to removing an editor-in-chief: it must be approved by 65% of votes cast. All also stress the role of a Press Association (SDJ) within a newsroom. It is not a union but aims to defend fundamental principles of journalism—ethics, editorial independence, and professional standards.
10:30 PM: it's chaos
Julia Cagé takes the stage alongside Sophie Taillé-Polian (Génération.s MP), Violette Spillebout (Renaissance MP) and Jérémie Patrier-Leitus (Horizons MP). "When they asked me to host a debate with politicians about press independence, I thought of Emmanuel Macron, Rima Abdul-Malak! The first is busy inaugurating the Jean-Pierre Elkkabach house. The second has theatre." Some audience members don't find the joke funny and start booing. No matter, Julia Cagé gives the floor to the MPs, who have come to defend a bill for editorial independence. The goal: to establish a right for journalists to approve the appointment of their editor-in-chief. More boos. Everyone turns around, it's chaos, you can't hear anyone speak. Jérémie Patrier-Leitus gets annoyed, explains that really, after all, he's the son of journalists and he'll defend us no matter what.
11 p.m.: it's party time
To satisfy everyone, queen Sara Forever (finalist from the second season of Drag Race France) takes the spotlight with a mermaid tail. She performs Pull marine by Isabelle Adjani, dancing around sequins. I never would have believed I'd see JDD journalists in a trance watching a drag show. Just goes to show that the press and culture are really fighting the same fight.
To go further
- Our 10 recommendations for independent press highlight key principles such as inclusivity, accessibility, and transparency.
- Cécile Sourd, Chief Executive Officer of the independent online publication Mediapart, discusses this media's business model, of which 98% of revenue comes from subscriptions.
- Reader clubs, friendship societies… There are several ways to bring your readers together and get them involved in building your media.
