Le Monde has a similar impact in France as The Times in England or the Washington Post in the US. To some extend. So what happened yesterday is quite an upheaval in the small world of the french media.
Le Monde’s editor in chief, Jean-Marie Colombani, fails to be re-elected as the group’s president. (“Le Monde partenaire et Associés and La Societe Editrice du Monde). He got 48,9% of the votes of his 400 fellow journalists. He was the only candidate. 48,60% voted against him. According to the newspapers own binding rules, he needed 60% to be re-elected. He was strongly supported by Alain Minc, president of the board and a strong influencer in the overall french media ecosystem. Alain Minc will have to find a new candidate, most likely Philippe Jeantet. I am not an insider, but it seems that the €146million 6 years deficit and the political positionning in favor of Segolene Royal had a weight in this election. Or could it be a sanction from “La societe des redacteurs” (the editors/journalists) which controls 21% of the holding capital and sees its share threatened by the respective ownerships of Lagardere (17%) and Prissa (15%)?
Would change be on the way?