Review of the submission of a case before the court by the association Reporters sans frontières (RSF)

In its decision of February 13, 2024, the Conseil d'Etat asked Arcom to reconsider the submission of a case before the court by the association Reporters sans frontières (RSF) insofar as it related to the demand that the service editor CNews comply with its obligations in terms of plurality and independence of information.

With regard to pluralism during the month of May 2021, under the provisions of its analysis, Arcom considered that, despite the variety of topics covered and the diversity of contributors, many subjects - such as violence committed against law enforcement officers, the functioning of the justice system or the effects of immigration on the functioning of our society - appeared to be dealt with in a univocal manner, with divergent points of view remaining very occasional.

Consequently, the AMF warned the publisher of the CNews channel and demanded that in future, it exercise the utmost vigilance with regard to the requirement for plurality of thought and opinion, as assessed in the deliberation of July 17, 2024.

The regulator has also asked the publisher to inform it, as soon as possible, of the schemes it intends to take to comply with its legislative obligations regarding the plurality of currents of thought and opinion, as specified in the Conseil d'Etat's decision.

With regard to the independence of information, the Authority rejected RSF's demand that CNews be given formal notice to comply with its obligation to provide independent information. However, the regulator has informed the channel's publisher that it will pay particular attention to ensuring compliance with this obligation.