Emmanuel Macron's obsession with controlling the media landscape has reached a new level with his plan to introduce a reliability label for news websites, aiming to identify "misinformation."
The announcement was made during the president's trip to Arras, in northern France, on Wednesday, November 19, where he met with readers of a regional newspaper at a conference on: "Democracy put to the test by social media and algorithms."
The president defended the idea of a "professional" label for social media and news websites to reassure readers about content reliability and combat "misinformation."
The creation of a control system naturally raises the question of which body will be responsible. It must, of course, be objective, independent, and impartial. Macron intends to entrust this delicate task to the NGO Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
A politically engaged NGO
The problem is that it is difficult to consider RSF as an objective, independent, and impartial organization. Under the guise of good intentions—defending press freedom, human rights, and democracy—the NGO published a video in the summer of 2024, amidst the French election period, which was openly political, calling for votes against the candidate of the National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen.
The 15-minute video presented an overly dramatic picture of her, characterizing her as dangerous for France due to her proximity to Viktor Orbán, who—according to the RSF—exercises suffocating control over the media in his country, a control that Macron seems to desire, but for the benefit of his own political values. The NGO also launched an online campaign: "Against the RN, let's defend independent and pluralistic journalism!" It is difficult to understand what they mean by "pluralism" in this context.
Dystopian practices
Macron's decision to assign the labeling mission to the RSF comes at an extremely inappropriate time. On Thursday, November 20, the public channel France 2 was scheduled to broadcast the investigative magazine Complément d’enquête, dedicated to the alleged excesses of the conservative channel CNews, owned by the Catholic billionaire Vincent Bolloré.
The program, absolutely critical, contained a segment based on data collected by the RSF, which supposedly proved the ideological bias of CNews in favor of the Right and the "extreme Right." According to the NGO, CNews undermines the goal of pluralism by inviting leftist commentators only on night shows, so practically no one sees them.
However, this time, the usual narrative against CNews could not be supported. The independent regulatory authority Arcom judged that the program distorted the truth, that the RSF's data was questionable, and that the channel's supposed ideological bias was not proven. In an extremely rare move, Arcom asked France 2 to cut the program shortly before it was broadcast, in order to restore balance and moderation.
Thus, Macron's protected NGO was publicly and severely contradicted, and rumors are circulating that the president has been furious with Arcom ever since, which is usually much more willing to comply with authority.
Biased pluralism
At the same time, the Thomas More Institute used artificial intelligence tools to decode the left-wing political bias of public radio. The bias was proven, and the result was impressive. The method was innovative: throughout October, the morning shows of public radio were examined with an AI tool "for the analysis of all comments heard on air without human selection," explains Jean-Thomas Lesueur, director of the institute. Every segment—hundreds of hours of programming—was linguistically analyzed. The method is completely transparent and repeatable: a valuable tool has now been created.
The study shows that the most radical parties—the LFI on the left and the RN on the right—are clearly excluded. The right wing of the government (Republicans) receives harsh criticism, while the moderate left enjoys obvious favor. France Inter and France Culture receive the most severe condemnation. France Info presents a better picture, with notable efforts toward balance. On France Culture, there are 66 left-wing columns versus only 6 right-wing ones, and 28 neutral ones.
"On sensitive issues—justice, discrimination, police violence, international affairs—the imbalance is even more intense: the vast majority are covered from a left-wing perspective without real counterbalance," the report reveals. Right-wing parties also generate the most hostile comments.
"The Ministry of Truth in action"
Macron's plan has caused concern. Many political figures warn that this initiative amounts to media control, which would further strengthen the ideological monopoly of state media.
The mayor of Cannes, David Lisnard, strongly expressed his opposition: "In a democracy, you do not grant the executive power the right to define what is 'reliable.' You guarantee pluralism and freedom—you do not certify them."
Journalist and writer Mathieu Bock-Côté on CNews, presenter of Face à l’info, one of France's most popular programs, denounced Macron's tendency to create a "Ministry of Truth."
According to him, the Lola case is an emblematic example of the danger. The horrific murder of the child by an Algerian immigrant was initially characterized as a simple "fact." The Left considered the journalistic coverage "unhealthy"—as was the criticism of France's immigration policy that allowed the perpetrator to roam free. The discussion elevated the event to a political incident, and that is positive. Press freedom lies precisely in the interpretation of such events.
The conflict between the Élysée and CNews has taken on the characteristics of a war, almost a personal duel. On December 1, the Élysée's official account published a video that explicitly attacked CNews, reinforcing accusations of state propaganda that have been circulating for weeks.
"State scandal. The Ministry of Truth in action. The Élysée openly attacks Bolloré's private media. The anti-liberal and authoritarian deviation is absolute. Media labeling is a practice of authoritarian regimes," stated Éric Ciotti, president of the Union of the Rights for the Republic (UDR) and an RN ally. A scandal indeed—and a very dangerous game: CNews has never been more popular.
More and more media outlets are expressing concern. Le Point writes: "Emmanuel Macron's very bad idea." Le Figaro speaks of "strange obsession." Even The Huffington Post, usually friendly towards Macron, uses the term "Ministry of Truth," borrowed from Orwell.
A year and a half before the presidential elections, the president is walking a path that could completely destroy the already fragile French political dialogue.
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