Paris, 17 March 2023

Wiesenthal Centre Director for International Relations, Dr Shimon Samuels, commended the response by the management of France24 and France Médias Monde, following CAMERA’s report and the Wiesenthal Centre’s action addressed to the broadcasting company last week. In view of their antisemitism on social media, one journalist was fired while three others were warned with a call to order.

See full press release by France24:
https://www.france24.com/fr/communiqu%C3%A9-de-presse/20230315-conclusion-de-l-audit-interne-%C3%A0-france-24-apr%C3%A8s-la-mise-en-cause-de-quatre-journalistes-arabophones

In their words: “France 24 informed the production company that employs Joëlle Maroun in Lebanon that the channel is ending all collaboration with this journalist because of intolerable messages posted on her personal accounts... France 24 will also file a complaint against her for the damage done to its reputation and the professionalism of the editorial staff.”... Adding, “With regard to the other three journalists... their messages posted on social media appear to reflect positions incompatible with the duty of impartiality set out in the company’s code of ethics.... Management issued a call to order.”

Furthermore, France24 stated that its Ethics Commission would “work with the journalist associations, to deepen the principles and extend the scope of the charter which governs the use of employees' personal accounts on social networks...”

With social media fuelling polarization and giving voice to propaganda or hatred, ever more often, Holocaust denial, glorification of terrorists or blatant antisemitism have become the “news normal”... But that is not the nature of journalism!

“May this case represent a precedent for other national and international media outlets that do not sufficiently vet or audit their journalists, especially when reporting on Israel,” concluded Samuels.

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