Following up on my earlier post re: French media control:
Translation:
Le Monde 16 Nov 05
Foreign Correspondents In Paris Don't Think They Need To Receive Any Lessons
After more than two weeks of riots in the suburbs, that were closely followed by foreign media, the [French] government is trying to "correct" France's image, quite tarnished by the images of violence and the imposition of a state of emergency.
Monday November 14, Jean-François Copé, government press secretary, met with international media correspondents based in Paris to tell them "things like they are, the truth, with no taboos, but also without hyperbole". Deploring that a "minority" of foreign media having been employing phrases that are "clearly exaggerated", Mr. Copé stated that "the shock value of certain images distorts the reality of the facts".
Directly in his sights: CNN, the 24-hour American News Channel which, several days after the onset of the riots, broadcast special editions with the logo "Paris in Flames" as in the case of the war in Iraq. "People who were talking about France being on fire, as anyone can see, are completely removed from reality", added Mr. Copé, emphasizing that the violence was occurring "far from the tourist areas".
Foreign correspondents in Paris are dumbfounded: "Any attempt to teach lessons to journalists is not the right approach", said John Vinocur, editorialist with the International Herald Tribune, to the AFP. Francisco Audije, correspondent for TVE (Spanish Public Television) did not appreciate being summoned before the government press secretary: "Being summoned like this does not have a significant influence on the press", he said. "In contrast to special envoys who are only learning about the reality of France, the handling of events is different when carried out by permanent correspondents who are more familiar with the problems. He added: "I have already gone through being summoned like this in Algeria where you have to hear that you are not presenting the right image of the country…"
You forgot to close one of your undelining tags before "Le Monde" and now the whole page is screwy, at least to me (Firefox 1.07). Could you fix that, please?
Steve
I think it's fixed now.
Gabriel
I agree. The less said about France, the better.
"Being summoned like this does not have a significant influence on the press"
Surely not in the State-owned highly politiced TVE with its plummeting audience. They are already under the "influence".
"In contrast to special envoys who are only learning about the reality of France, the handling of events is different when carried out by permanent correspondents who are more familiar with the problems."
Spaniards checked it when correspondent Rodicio in Baghdad before and during the war reported that CENTCOM was lying and, as Saddam said, there were no American troops in Baghdad. The city fell the next day, which caused many watchers to ROFL at her.
"I have already gone through being summoned like this in Algeria where you have to hear that you are not presenting the right image of the country…"
What is strange is that you have not being summouned yet by the people of Spain, who pay your salary.
Could you imagine how tolerant with lies someone has to be in order to get such a well paid post in a nice city not far away from Spain working for the highly politiced State-owned TV Channel?
By the way, I watched the first news about the rioting in France in Euronews, not in any Spanish channel. The censorship in the press lasted even more. Has something to do it with Zapatero policy of close friendship with the Arab world? or is it all about his immigration policy, which regularized 800,000 persons? maybe it is simply they are scared it happens the same someday here (which I think is just a matter of time)