Radio France staff strike over appointment of far-right weekly’s commentator
In France, employees of public broadcaster Radio France began a two-day strike over the appointment of Charles Sapin, deputy editor-in-chief of the weekly Valeurs Actuelles, as a political commentator for the France Inter radio station. Trade unions accuse him of promoting far-right ideas ahead of the presidential election, France 24 reports.
Changes on air
Since the end of August, Sapin has hosted a weekly political commentary segment on France Inter, which the source calls the country’s most popular radio station. His column, scheduled for Sunday morning, did not air because of the strike. Other parts of France Inter’s morning programme were also taken off air and replaced with music.
At the same time, the morning programmes of the group’s other stations — franceinfo and France Culture — were broadcast as usual. Radio France management has defended Sapin’s appointment, citing the need for pluralism ahead of the presidential election scheduled for April-May.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Criticism of the appointment
The broadcaster’s employees say that Valeurs Actuelles’ editorial values do not correspond to Radio France’s public-service mission. France 24 describes Valeurs Actuelles as a far-right weekly, although the publication itself calls itself conservative. According to the source, the magazine has been involved in a number of legal disputes, including convictions for public racial insults.
About 300 public figures, including filmmakers, writers and lawyers, called Sapin’s involvement with France Inter “outrageous” in an opinion piece for Le Parisien and urged that he be stripped of his political segment. The signatories included actress Julie Gayet, the wife of former president François Hollande, and Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Annie Ernaux. France Inter director Céline Pigalle called pluralism fundamental to public radio and said that she trusts Sapin.
