The publication by Le Journal du dimanche (Le JDD), in its edition of August 20, of a column signed by the deputy of Yvelines Karl Olive, member of the presidential camp, provoked the disapproval of the president of the Renaissance group in the Assembly national, Sylvain Maillard. The latter had instructed the deputies of his group not to participate in the content of the weekly, which publishes its third issue under the direction of Geoffroy Lejeune after six weeks of strike and massive departures within the editorial staff.
“I was informed by a member of my group that exchanges had taken place with the JDD for the publication of a forum, while this newspaper still does not provide the necessary guarantee of plurality that our group expects”, said commented on Saturday on X (ex-Twitter), Sylvain Maillard. “This ‘participation’ does not in any way commit” the deputies of the group, according to the deputy from Paris, who continues: “I will bring together the office of the Renaissance group at the start of the school year to follow up. »
Sabrina Agresti-Roubache in the first issue
Karl Olive, ex-journalist for Canal, deputy of Yvelines and ex-mayor of Poissy, to whom Emmanuel Macron made his first presidential campaign trip in 2022, signs a column at the JDD entitled: “Let’s go smell the cows’ ass!” “. In particular, he praises “local democracy and participatory democracy” and pleads for the end of the ban on the plurality of mandates in Parliament for mayors, one of his hobbyhorses. Mr. Olive also evokes “the misery of the middle classes” and judges that “Gérald Darmanin is right to make it a beacon of his return to school next Sunday”.
A first controversy had emerged within the majority after an interview with the new Secretary of State for the City, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache, in the first issue of the new JDD formula. “We can talk about everything, but not to anyone, or at any time”, reacted in particular the Minister Delegate for Transport, Clément Beaune, who judges that the JDD has lost “its historical line, its values , its DNA.
Many observers see in the arrival of Mr. Lejeune the hand of Vincent Bolloré, billionaire with reputedly ultra-conservative opinions. Vivendi, Mr. Bolloré’s group owning Canal and its channels (including CNews and C8), is in the process of absorbing Lagardère, owner of JDD, Paris Match and Europe 1, after a successful takeover bid.