Almost a week after the death of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, Emmanuel Macron went to the headquarters of France Télévisions, Monday October 9, to pay tribute to the deceased, “a journalist who wanted to carry the pen (…) in the wounds of the time “.
“He wanted to be part of it, to be part of his time (…) of the history that is written and told, transmitted and remains,” declared the Head of State in front of an audience of political and media personalities in the main building of the France Télévisions headquarters, officially renamed “Maison Jean-Pierre Elkabbach”. He wanted “to be a reference when he was criticized for his reverences,” said Mr. Macron, before continuing: “Jean-Pierre Elkabbach, ultimately, succeeded in being one, in being of his time and ours. »
Strong words as the tribute to the journalist and former boss of France Télévisions was not well received by all employees. At the end of the head of state’s speech, a woman shouted “He squandered France Télévisions’ funds! », in reference to the passage of Jean-Pierre Elkabbach at the head of France 2 and France 3 between the end of 1993 and 1996. After the revelation of contracts worth hundreds of millions of francs awarded to animators-producers like Jean-Luc Delarue , Nagui, Michel Drucker, Mireille Dumas, Arthur and Jacques Martin, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach was forced to resign. Mr. Macron spoke of this part of the journalist’s career, declaring: “This audacity for him was priceless, it was undoubtedly beyond price for the time. »
In two separate press releases, the SNJ, the main union of the profession and of France Télévisions, and the Society of Journalists (SDJ) of the national editorial staff explained why they were not participating in the ceremony.
The first because management’s choice to rename the company’s main building is a “premature decision” that “does not achieve consensus.”
The second because it is “impossible to hide the gray areas of his career”, in particular that, at the end of his career, Jean-Pierre Elkabbach had “become an advisor to Vincent Bolloré and a journalist for CNews”. Questioned by AFP, Delphine Ernotte, CEO of France Télévisions, did not want to comment on the controversy surrounding the tribute.