French state broadcaster faces scrutiny as right launches parliamentary probe

France’s public television and radio networks have become the focus of a political dispute after lawmakers opened a parliamentary investigation into their neutrality, operations and funding, at a time when the media is expected to play a decisive role ahead of the 2027 presidential election, The Daily Baku reports.

The inquiry was initiated by the rightwing UDR party, which is aligned with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN). It follows long-standing accusations from the far right that public broadcasters are biased against them. Le Pen, whose party is widely expected to reach the final round of the next presidential contest, has argued that public service media lack impartiality and has previously called for their privatisation.

The investigation, scheduled to continue until March, comes amid broader tensions over public broadcasting across Europe. These include former US president Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the BBC over editorial decisions, as well as complaints from unions at Italy’s public broadcaster that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government exerts excessive influence.

In France, the inquiry unfolds against the growing power of a private media conglomerate controlled by conservative Catholic businessman Vincent Bolloré. Critics say his outlets amplify reactionary viewpoints and have contributed to the rise of the far right. His news channel CNews, now the most-watched in the country, frequently attacks the public broadcaster.

The parliamentary commission was established after footage emerged of two journalists being secretly recorded while meeting Socialist party officials at a café. The video, published by a rightwing magazine in September and widely aired on Bolloré-owned channels, prompted accusations that the journalists were collaborating with the left to undermine rightwing parties.

The journalists involved—Patrick Cohen, a political commentator on public radio and television, and Thomas Legrand, a former radio journalist now writing for Libération—said such meetings were routine professional practice and that the footage had been selectively edited. Both have filed legal complaints alleging violations of privacy.

Testifying before the inquiry, Cohen said the clip had been replayed or referenced more than 850 times on CNews within two weeks, describing the coverage as part of an unlimited propaganda campaign aimed at discrediting public service media. Legrand told lawmakers that France was entering what he described as a “Trumpist” political era.

Parliamentary hearings have been contentious. Socialist MP Ayda Hadizadeh warned that the inquiry risked becoming a political “show trial” designed to dismantle public broadcasting. RN MP Anne Sicard countered that her party was routinely treated as an adversary by state media.

Jérémie Patrier-Leitus, a lawmaker from the centre-right Horizons party who is chairing the inquiry, insisted the process was not intended to attack public television or radio.

France Télévisions, which operates four national channels and 24 regional ones, plays a central role in funding French films, drama and documentaries and remains the country’s largest media organisation. Radio France runs multiple national and local stations and leads the podcast market.

President Emmanuel Macron has previously criticised public broadcasters and abolished the television licence fee, though a permanent replacement funding model has yet to be established. In December, Macron appeared to distance himself from CNews after the Élysée accused the channel of spreading misinformation related to his support for media accreditation reforms.

Alexis Lévrier, a media historian at the University of Reims, said public broadcasting across Europe was increasingly being weakened as a counterbalance to political power. In France, he added, the situation was unique due to the unprecedented influence of Bolloré’s media empire, which now dominates the media landscape and views public broadcasting as a rival.

Bolloré has denied engaging in political or ideological interference, including during a Senate hearing in 2022.

Adèle Van Reeth, director of the public radio station France Inter, told lawmakers that safeguarding public broadcasting was essential to the health of French democracy.