The New Watchdogs Page #3

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and the media barons is troublesome.

It is plainly, deeply corrupting.

But when we probe

beyond the friendships,

the yacht parties and backslapping,

we see that the backslapping

is based primarily

on a shared set of values

and political beliefs.

Because they agree

on the society they want to construct

and the economic interests they support,

the se friendships

can be quite effective.

The interests of the people

who really run this country

reach far beyond the person

of Sarkozy himself.

Sarkozy is there because today,

he seems to be the best guardian

of their financial

and ideological interests.

But if, for any reason,

he becomes a liability tomorrow,

the y'll back another horse

without blinking.

They have plenty of runners

to choose from.

On the right wing, naturally,

but also on the left.

A word about your neighbor,

Jean-Pierre,

your father's former adviser.

Do you listen to him every morning?

- Sometimes I even see him.

- You drop in?

It's a show in itself.

He drops in around 7:45

and we have a chat...

...we have a chat...

...we have a chat...

The viewers of Drucker's show

believe every word.

When the boss of a conglomerate

employing 250,000 people

drops in at the radio station he owns,

it's to have a chat.

Certainly not to give orders.

Elkabbach and Drucker assert

that for their employers,

the freedom of the press

is sacred.

And not only freedom.

He has other qualities.

I'm not saying it to flatter you.

I saw you metamorphose

into a great European manager.

It's amazing. Once or twice,

I've watched him negotiate.

Can I say this?

He's so focused and so still,

you wonder if he's there.

He bides his time.

All of a sudden, he strikes.

He grabs the strategic initiative.

He can even surprise you

by switching strategies.

Negotiators beware!

Don't tell!

It's a good thing I came.

It's good that he drops in...

it's a good thing he came.

It takes great journalistic skill

to praise a boss so fulsomely.

He grabs the strategic initiative.

He can even surprise you

by switching strategies.

WORKING DOGS:

Lie!

Sit!

Stand!

Journalists

have two ways of not contesting

the power

that media owners exert on them.

They can simply deny it,

as Elkabbach and many others do,

or they can say it's natural

for this power to exert itself.

Back to our two famous editorial writers.

What's their take on the subject?

Do you feel

the Lagardere media

are under orders,

in thrall to business interests

and arms dealers?

No.

It varies for each magazine,

each part

of the Lagardere empire.

There's always

a nebulous power.

Some people are so powerful

that they don't need to speak

but they do set guidelines,

obviously.

If you start up a newspaper,

you don't hand over control

to a hand-picked

team of journalists.

It makes sense

that the owner sets guidelines.

Have you ever been

censored?

Has Robert Hersant

ever phoned you

before you went to press

and say "Scrap that article"

or "Change that headline"?

It happens on every newspaper.

It seems very natural to me.

I think every owner

has rights over his paper.

In a way,

he's the one with the power.

My power, pardon the expression,

is one big joke.

Let's call it responsibility, then.

Real power exists.

It's the enduring power of capital.

That's real power.

Power naturally exerts itself.

So power naturally exerts itself.

But how, in practice?

Back to the TF1 news,

France's most watched

news program.

The country's in trouble.

Harsh words!

Can you give

any practical examples?

She's right.

Let's take a practical example.

Not just any example.

An important issue

involving public safety

and France's future.

How to Handle Boozefests?

Should Boozefests be Banned?

Nothing quite so serious!

Let's take the safety

of nuclear power plants.

On May 27th 2008,

an AFP wire story

reported that "serious faults"

had prompted

the Nuclear Safety Authority

to halt the pouring of concrete

at the Flamanville reactor site.

Various media

picked up the story during the day.

Work on the nuclear plant is on hold.

Faults have been found

in the concrete reinforcing rods.

The wire story reported that

the grading work and pouring of concrete

were contracted to the Bouygues Group.

Let's see how TF1,

owned by Martin Bouygues,

reported the event that evening.

Good evening.

Our top stories today:

President Sarkozy visits Rungis market

to greet "France's early risers

who want to make a decent living."

This evening,

TF1's seven million viewers

are told nothing

about the nuclear site.

Let's try tomorrow.

Today's top stories...

Still nothing.

Let's watch Claire Chazal.

Good evening.

The headlines today:

The floods continue...

Not a word from Claire Chazal

about her employer's trouble.

In recent years, the nuclear sector

has been a key business area

for the Bouygues Group.

Real power exists.

It's the enduring power of capital.

That's real power.

Power naturally exerts itself.

Power naturally exerts itself.

Naturally, therefore,

there's a place in Paris

where the media stars dine once a month

with the political and financial elite.

Le Siecle is a private club

which picks its members

from among the French elite.

Business leaders,

top civil servants,

journalists,

intellectuals, politicians

all follow the golden rule:

Never breathe a word outside

about what's said in here.

Free from prying eyes and oversight,

the media stars

learn the manners of power

and hear what's on its mind.

Former government minister

Crdit Agricole board member

Editorial writer for Le Figaro, etc.

MP and former minister

Head of Calyon bank

Speaker of the National Assembly

Le Monde board member

Vice-Chairman of Arte TV

Former government minister

Lurking documentary filmmaker

All the se clubs

are a motley crew of journalists,

pseudo-intellectuals,

semi-economists,

real economists,

top civil servants, politicians,

and business leaders, naturally.

The whole bunch

are as thick as thieves.

Vice-President

of the French Banks Association, etc.

Government minister

Adviser to the Mayor of Paris

Chair of PPR Supervisory Board

Board member of Gucci, TF1, YSL...

Le Point, Bouygues, Air France, etc.

Joining this kind of club

and belonging to it

involves... how can I put it?

Forfeiting freedom of speech

and critical judgment

in order to fit the norm,

adapt, adjust,

and censor yourself.

Very soon, you don't need to be told.

You know what you can and can't say,

the questions you can and can't ask.

Joining the Siecle

means that you fit in

with the French ruling class.

As a member, you have to

respect its interests, at least,

and not interfere with

its political and economic agenda.

Thanks, boss!

It's such fun to work for you

We're as happy as larks

Thanks, boss!

For what you do here on earth,

One day God will reward you.

The media dislike the business world.

Your audience, the general public,

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