Le Canard enchaîné

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Le Canard enchaîné
Le Canard enchaîné logo
description satirical French weekly newspaper
publishing company SA Les Editions Maréchal-Le Canard Enchaîné
First edition September 10, 1915
Frequency of publication weekly on Wednesdays
Sold edition 360,000 copies
(FAZ, April 11, 2017)
Editor-in-chief Érik Emptaz and Louis-Marie Horeau
editor Michel Gaillard
Web link lecanardenchaine.fr
ISSN (print) 0008-5405

Le Canard enchaîné is the most important satirical weekly newspaper in France . It appears on Wednesdays and comprises eight pages on newsprint; printed in two colors. Founded in 1915, Canard conducts serious investigative journalism in a style that is unique in Europe.

history

The newspaper was founded on September 10, 1915 by Maurice Maréchal, Jeanne Maréchal and Henri-Paul Deyvaux-Gassier.

Georges Clemenceau renamed his newspaper L'Homme libre ('the free man') after problems with state censorship in L'Homme enchaîné ('the chained man'). Based on this, the name Le Canard enchaîné ('the chained duck') was chosen. "Canard" (duck) is a slang expression for "newspaper" in French and has nothing to do with the German term " newspaper duck ".

At the beginning of its story - but also during the Algerian War - the paper used subtle parodies against the censorship , such as the denial, which the reader knows that it says exactly the opposite. This was necessary in view of the pacifist line of the paper, but could not always prevent passages of articles from being censored and remaining white.

Well-known artists such as Anatole France , Jean Galtier-Boissière , Paul Vaillant-Couturier , Raymond Radiguet , Tristan Bernard , Jean Cocteau , Pierre Mac Orlan , Lucien Descaves and Roland Dorgelès are among the authors.

During the German occupation of France in World War II , the canard did not appear. Pierre Brossolette said: “The war is over for the French when they can read Le Canard enchaîné again.” The founder, Maurice Maréchal, who died in 1942, did not live to see it reappeared on September 6, 1944 shortly after the liberation of Paris . His widow, Jeanne Maréchal, took over the management of the newspaper.

During the Algerian War, the newspaper advocated independence. Several issues from 1958 were then banned by the censors.

The Canard obtains its information for the most part from anonymous informants who work in ministries, administrations, the army or in company boards.

As part of the spelling reform , the orthography "enchainé" is also possible and recommended by the Académie Française . However, the newspaper did not change its name.

60 editors work in the newspaper, including 16 for the political field and 11 draftsmen (as of March 2011). More than half of the editors delivered handwritten manuscripts to secretaries in 2011. Others write with the typewriter and only a few work with the PC.

Editorial line

"La liberté de la presse ne s'use que quand on ne s'en sert pas"

"The freedom of the press only wears out if you don't use it."

- The motto of the Canard.

Anti-militarist, left-wing and anti-clerical, the paper uncovers numerous political, legal and economic scandals. It has an extensive network of informants who are often directly involved in what is happening and - out of moral indignation, for example - supply the Canard with material. Journalists who cannot put a story in their own editorial team will also find an open ear here.

independence

The canard appears in two colors (red and black) in the form of an eight-page, large-format newspaper. The relatively low printing costs as a result, with a price at the kiosk of € 1.20 (in France, € 2.60 in Germany), have made it possible to completely do without advertising since it was founded. Still, the newspaper is financially successful. In 1982 it was switched to photo typesetting and in 1996 to full page make-up .

The circulation sold fell by a quarter between 2012 and 2016 to just under 360,000 copies. At the same time, the average age of readers rose.

In order to ensure editorial independence, there are some rules for journalists: They are not allowed to own a stock exchange depot , work as a freelancer for other publications and accept neither gifts nor medals . So was z. B. In 1933 the journalist Pierre Scize was dismissed for accepting a Legion of Honor . The balance sheet of the company, which is owned by the founding family and the editorial team, is published every year in the last August issue. Since a failed takeover attempt by the largest French media consortium, Hachette, in 1953, the publishing house and its employees have held over 1,000 shares, which, according to the editorial statute, are inalienable in order to be able to maintain editorial independence. Independence is also promoted by the fact that the newspaper has equity of a good 122 million euros (as of 2014).

Foregoing advertising revenue

"We never wanted to ask ourselves the question of whether a story might lose an advertising budget."

- Louis-Marie Horeau, deputy editor-in-chief

Affairs

The Canard has uncovered a number of scandals, here is just a small selection:

  • On December 3, 1973, two Canard employees placed several officers from the domestic secret service Direction de la surveillance du territoire (DST), who, disguised as plumbers, installed eavesdropping devices on the construction site of the new editorial building. The resulting scandal prompted a cabinet reshuffle, after which the responsible Interior Minister Raymond Marcellin found himself as Minister of Agriculture.
  • In 1979, Le Canard enchaîné revealed that Valéry Giscard d'Estaing , then French President, had accepted diamonds as gifts from the dictator of the Central African Republic, Jean-Bédel Bokassa . In 1981 Giscard missed re-election, not least because of this affair.
  • A total of eight affairs by Jacques Chirac during his time as mayor in Paris (fictitious jobs in the town hall, financing of the RPR, HLM de Paris, ...) never went to court because Chirac, as president, invoked his “immunité présidentielle”.
  • The newspaper uncovered the connections with the sinking of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior .
  • Le Canard enchaîné was instrumental in clearing up the Nazi past of the former Paris police chief Maurice Papon .
  • Le Canard enchaîné revealed the affair surrounding the luxurious apartment of Finance Minister Hervé Gaymard , which was paid for from the state treasury , and who then resigned in 2005.
  • In February 2007, the Canard revealed the dubious circumstances surrounding Nicolas Sarkozy's apartment purchase .
  • In the summer of 2010, the Canard revealed various affairs involving ministers or former ministers:
    • Rama Yade , who was supposed to stay in a luxury hotel during the World Cup in South Africa after publicly criticizing the team's high accommodation costs.
    • Christian Blanc , who had his ministry buy cigars for € 12,000. He was asked to repay the money. He resigned on July 4th.
    • Alain Joyandet for an illegal building permit. He had to give up his construction project and also resigned on July 4th
    • Christine Boutin , who was supposed to write a report on globalization for € 9,500 / month and at the same time received remuneration as a member of the General Council of the Yvelines department and a pension as a former MP (the newspaper accused Nicolas Sarkozy of having bought her loyalty). She waived the remuneration for her assignment.
    • Fadela Amara and Christian Estrosi for official housing used by relatives.
  • In September 2014, the Canard revealed that the head of the Front National Marine Le Pen had to surrender her driver's license at the end of 2012. She did not want to attend seminars on traffic therapy. She owes the Dufour & Associés law firm commissioned in 2013 a fee of 3,000 euros.
  • In July 2016 it was revealed that the French President François Hollande can afford his own hairdresser, who receives almost € 10,000 a month for his services, the same as a French minister.

Awards

  • In 2011, the editorial team was awarded the German Henri Nannen Prize for its “outstanding advocacy for the independence of the press” (“ freedom of the press ”) . The jury awarded the award to the French editorial team, as they "... have always followed the line of completely independent reporting that is only committed to the truth," said the jury's statement.

documentation

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Laurent Martin: "Pourquoi lit-on Le Canard enchaîné " In: Vingtième Siècle. Revue d'histoire. Volume 68, 2000, p. 52.
  2. ↑ His first work Galanterie française appeared in Canard enchaîné on May 6, 1918 under the pseudonym Rajky .
  3. ↑ rialtopictures.com ( Memento of the original from September 3, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rialtopictures.com
  4. ↑ Alain-Xavier Wurst: “Quack! Quak Quak! “ In: Die Zeit , No. 16/2012.
  5. ↑ Hot line to the Elysée. France and freedom of the press. Deutschlandfunk , May 31, 2008.
  6. ↑ a b Britta Sandberg: The unleashed duck . In: Der Spiegel . No. 10 , 2011, p. 140-142 ( online ).
  7. ↑ The most feared magazine in France . In: FAZ , April 11, 2017.
  8. ↑ Carla B.'s diary, imaginary . In: FAZ , July 8, 2008.
  9. ↑ The platypus of the French press . In: NZZ , September 5, 2015; accessed on September 8, 2015
  10. ↑ Britta Sandberg: The unleashed duck . In: Der Spiegel . No. 10 , 2011, p. 142 ( online ).
  11. ↑ Be careful, biting duck . Focus , September 11, 1995
  12. ↑ The "Führer" without a license . Handelsblatt Online, October 1, 2014.
  13. ↑ Hollande's hairdresser earns 9895 euros a month . Handelsblatt online , July 13, 2016; accessed on July 13, 2016
  14. ↑ SPIEGEL editors awarded Nannen prizes . Spiegel Online , May 6, 2011.