Le Monde
Le Monde (The World) is a French daily evening newspaper with a circulation of 371,803. It is considered the French newspaper of record, and is generally well respected, often the only French newspaper easily obtainable in non-Francophone countries.
The newspaper should not be confused with the monthly publication Le Monde diplomatique, of which Le Monde has 51 percent ownership, but which is editorially independent.
History
Le Monde was founded by Hubert Beuve-Méry at the request of General Charles de Gaulle after the German army was driven from Paris during World War II, and took over the format of Le Temps, whose reputation had suffered during the Occupation. Beuve-Méry reportedly demanded total editorial independence as the condition for his taking on the project. Its first edition appeared on November 19, 1944. Le Monde has been available on the Internet since December 19, 1995. It is the principal publication of Groupe Le Monde.
As of 2006, its current board chairman and director of publication is Jean-Marie Colombani and the current chief editor (rédacteur en chef) is Gérard Courtois. Plantu (Jean Plantureux) is one of several political cartoonists who contribute to the paper, and his work is often featured on the front page above the fold.
Editorial Stance
In contrast with Le Figaro, which traditionally caters to the right, and Libération, which serves the far left, Le Monde is thought to be the choice of those in the center.[1] In the past, its stance was often described as center-left, this has become more moderate in recent years. Some critics contend that its current line is, broadly speaking, biased against Jacques Chirac.[2] In 1981 it backed the election of Socialist François Mitterrand on the grounds that alternation of the political party in government would be beneficial to the country.
In contrast to other world newspapers such as The New York Times, Le Monde used to be more geared to analysis and opinion, rather than simply being a newspaper of record. Hence, it was considered less important for the paper to cover "all the news that's fit to print" (the motto of The New York Times) than to offer thoughtful interpretation of current events. Writers of lead reporting articles did not hesitate to provide commentary or venture predictions. In recent years, however, greater separation has been established between facts and opinion.
Le Monde Today
The paper's journalistic side has a collegial form of organization, in which most journalists are not only tenured, but financial stakeholders in the enterprise as well, and participate in the elections of upper management and senior executives.
After the terrorist attacks on America of September 11, 2001, Le Monde published on its front page a famous quote written by Jean-Marie Colombani, entitled "We all are Americans".[3]
Despite its reputation for quality reporting, in their 2003 book entitled La face cachée du Monde[4] ("The hidden face of Le Monde"), authors Pierre Péan and Philippe Cohen alleged that Colombani and the then editor Edwy Plenel had, amongst other things, shown partisan bias and engaged in financial dealings that compromised the paper's independence. It also accused the paper of dangerously damaging the authority of the French state by having revealed various political scandals (notably corruption scandals surrounding Jacques Chirac, and the sinking of a Greenpeace boat, the Rainbow Warrior, by French intelligence under President François Mitterrand). In one chapter, the authors of the book accused Colombani and Plenel of "xenophilia" and of "not liking France". This book remains controversial, but attracted much attention and media coverage in France and around the world at the time of its publication.[5] Following a lawsuit, the authors and the publisher agreed in 2004 not to proceed to any reprinting.[6][7][8]
During the 2004 U.S. Presidential Election, The Economist published an article in which John F. Kerry's popularity among Europeans (allegedly based on his cosmopolitanism and leftism) was illustrated by a cartoon showing him holding a copy of Le Monde.[9]
Since 2003 the paper, like many other French newspapers, faced declining readership, which many attributed to the publication of The hidden face of Le Monde.
Recent circulation history:
| Year | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2004-2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation | 405 983 | 407 085 | 389 249 | 371 803 | 363 999 |
Notes
- ↑ Dilday, K.A. 2006 Crisis at Libération The Nation. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ Hunter, Mark. 2003 When Mondes Collide: Has the watchdog of France gone mad? Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ A French Beau for the New York Times Business Week. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ Péan, Pierre and Philippe Cohen. 2003. La Face cachée du Monde : Du contre-pouvoir aux abus de pouvoir. Mille et Une Nuits. ISBN 2842057562
- ↑ Alembakis, Rachel. 2003. Investigating Le Monde Retrieved January 6, 2007 from Global Journalist Online Magazine, Third Quarter 2003.
- ↑ Le Monde sacks veteran writer BBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ France's Le Monde sues for libel BBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ French daily Le Monde under fire BBC News. Retrieved December 14, 2006
- ↑ Europe's candidate for president The Economist. Retrieved December 14, 2006
Bibliography
- Eveno, Patrick. 2001. Le journal Le monde. Odile Jacob. ISBN 2738109462
- Jeanneney, Jean-Noël et Jacques Julliard. 1979. Le Monde de Beuve-Méry ou le métier d'Alceste, Paris: Le Seuil. ISBN 2020051001
- Legris, Michel. 1976. Le Monde tel qu'il est Paris: Plon.
- Thibau, Jacques. 1996. Le Monde, 1944-1996, Histoire d'un journal, un journal dans l'histoire Paris: Plon. ISBN 2259182992
External links
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