"Bolloré contributes to the pluralism of ideas": an editorial by the news director of "Le Télégramme" denounced by the editorial staff

The Journalists' Society of Le Télégramme (SJT) published a press release on Tuesday, May 27, in which it distanced itself from and denounced the pro-Bolloré editorial published two days earlier in the newspaper's columns. The SJT emphasized that "many journalists on the editorial staff do not identify with the comments made." And for good reason, Hubert Coudurier, the news director and author of the publication titled "Stop the anti-Bolloré agit-prop," stated in the opening lines that "there is something deeply incongruous and unpleasant about the anti-Bolloré demonstration that took place on Saturday."

A position taken by the 67-year-old Morlaisien which follows the gathering of nearly 70 boats, Saturday, May 24, in the Glénan archipelago where Vincent Bolloré owns an island. The collective Lever les voiles and the Soulèvements de la Terre had organized this mobilization to protest against the presence of the far-right billionaire. "Wanting to attack his property rights recalls the practices of totalitarian regimes that we would not want to resemble," writes Hubert Coudurier. The latter is surprised that anyone could reproach anything to the one "who has turned around, in a remarkable way, his family business [and who] embodies […] the success of Brittany."

The editorial is one too many for the SJT, relaunched two years ago by several journalists concerned in particular by the direction of Hubert Coudurier's writings and to which half of the 220 journalists on the editorial staff adhere. The organization had already shared two internal press releases in 2021 and 2024 to deplore the positions taken by the news director. This time, it issued a public press release to express its distance from the text, in particular with regard to the editorialist's assertion that "Bolloré contributes to the pluralism of ideas in a country long subject to a certain media doxa."

"The matter was too serious and the fact that Hubert Coudurier spoke on behalf of the entire Télégramme to take sides with Vincent Bolloré offended a large proportion of our members. They were the ones who encouraged us to react publicly, even before we discussed it," the SJT office told Libération .

The Society of Journalists responded by reminding him that "the conquest strategy deployed by [Vincent Bolloré] in the media sector to serve his ideology and interests has been widely documented. Several journalists have also denounced the intimidation and threats that the billionaire poses to freedom of information." The SJT took the opportunity to point out that Hubert Coudurier "himself appears as a columnist on the CNews channel ," a channel of the Vivendi group, owned by Vincent Bolloré. Information that the executive of Le Télégramme, who regularly appears on the program 180 minutes info, does not specify in his editorial glorifying his employer.

Following the publication of the SJT, Hubert Coudurier, whose brother, Edouard, is chairman of the board and owner of the Télégramme group, received support from the newspaper's management. In a statement first sent to journalists and then released publicly, the management assured that the SJT "is fighting the wrong battle" : "It is not about […] defending Mr. Bolloré or his ideas, but about denouncing the totalitarian drift of certain far-left movements."

The management continues: "Yes, Le Télégramme is independent and defends the pluralism of opinions, which is why it is useful to reaffirm that these have the right to be heard in the media space, even when they displease the far left and the SJT." A parallel which comes just a few weeks after the management's support for its editorial staff, when Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the newspaper as a "parish bulletin" which "manipulates its readers" in March. Far from calling the organization "far left," the management had republished the SJT press release reacting to the rebellious leader's comments.

"We regret being caricatured. The purpose of our press release was not at all to support the demonstration but to remind people that we cannot consider that a billionaire who has taken over several media outlets is working for the pluralism of opinions," the SJT office complained to "Libé." The latter recalling that Vincent Bolloré is accustomed to "gag orders" (lengthy legal proceedings aimed at financially exhausting a media outlet) whenever the press looks too closely at his affairs.