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French TV boss admits censoring riot coverage
Guardian ^ | November 10, 2005 | Claire Cozens

Posted on 11/21/2005 10:30:54 PM PST by Lorianne

One of France's leading TV news executives has admitted censoring his coverage of the riots in the country for fear of encouraging support for far-right politicians. Jean-Claude Dassier, the director general of the rolling news service LCI, said the prominence given to the rioters on international news networks had been "excessive" and could even be fanning the flames of the violence.

Mr Dassier said his own channel, which is owned by the private broadcaster TF1, recently decided not to show footage of burning cars.

"Politics in France is heading to the right and I don't want rightwing politicians back in second, or even first place because we showed burning cars on television," Mr Dassier told an audience of broadcasters at the News Xchange conference in Amsterdam today. "Having satellites trained on towns across France 24 hours a day showing the violence would have been wrong and totally disproportionate ... Journalism is not simply a matter of switching on the cameras and letting them roll. You have to think about what you're broadcasting," he said.

Mr Dassier denied he was guilty of "complicity" with the French authorities, which this week invoked an extraordinary state-of-emergency law passed during the country's war with Algeria 50 years ago.

But he admitted his decision was partly motivated by a desire to avoid encouraging the resurgence of extreme rightwing views in France.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: media
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1 posted on 11/21/2005 10:30:55 PM PST by Lorianne
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To: Lorianne

The new media trying to control the news, tell me it ain't so.


2 posted on 11/21/2005 10:35:02 PM PST by U S Army EOD (I NEED TO COME UP WITH ANOTHER TAG LINE)
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To: Lorianne

Wow... and they wonder why we hate them so.... or maybe they dont.


3 posted on 11/21/2005 10:35:54 PM PST by Walkingfeather
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To: U S Army EOD

Only another incidence of "stating the obvious"!


4 posted on 11/21/2005 10:40:24 PM PST by singfreedom ("Victory at all costs,.......for without victory there is no survival."--Churchill--that's "Winston")
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To: Lorianne
"Politics in France is heading to the right and I don't want rightwing politicians back in second, or even first place because we showed burning cars on television,"

There you have it. It is much the same on the Western shores of the Atlantic. The media thinks it knows the best way the government should operate and who should be in office.

5 posted on 11/21/2005 10:41:39 PM PST by oyez (Appeasement is death!)
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To: Lorianne
Sounds like what CNN does in favor of their Communist DemonCRAP buddies!! eh
6 posted on 11/21/2005 10:44:45 PM PST by timestax
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To: Lorianne
In other news:

Sun rises in the east

Pope is Catholic

7 posted on 11/21/2005 11:48:01 PM PST by Witch-king of Angmar
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I am not surprised at all. The riots was an embarrassment for France & an indication of the failure of its open door immigration policies.
8 posted on 11/22/2005 12:26:49 AM PST by Republic_of_Secession.
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I am not surprised at all. The riots was an embarrassment for France & an indication of the failure of its open door immigration policies.
9 posted on 11/22/2005 12:27:09 AM PST by Republic_of_Secession.
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To: Lorianne
Oh and 24 hours of New Orleans was OK because it bashed the conservative right Republicans. The press is definitely biased toward Socialism and against Conservatism.
10 posted on 11/22/2005 12:30:10 AM PST by Exton1
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To: Lorianne

Journalism is not simply a matter of switching on the cameras and letting them roll. You have to think about what you're broadcasting," he said.



Except when Bush is shown by AlJazeera killing muslims...now cameras can roll on and on about Zionist conspiracies in Frankenstenreich!


11 posted on 11/22/2005 12:32:30 AM PST by JudgemAll (Condemn me, make me naked and kill me, or be silent for ever on my gun ownership and law enforcement)
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To: Lorianne
Politics in France is heading to the right and I don't want right wing politicians back in second, or even first place

I want Islamofacist in first place.

12 posted on 11/22/2005 12:44:08 AM PST by one more state
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To: Lorianne
I was expecting him to say that footage was censored to avoid encouraging the rioters to try to top the previous night's performance. If he had said that, a lot of people would have agreed that perhaps it was a good idea.

By admitting that censorship was designed to avoid helping Le Pen, he is instead helping Le Pen and destroying his own credibility.

13 posted on 11/22/2005 12:56:27 AM PST by wideminded
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To: Lorianne

He started the deception when he failed, for the past three years, to make public what the government and media both know, e.g., that approximately 100 cars per night for three years have been burned by Islam. The only reason the world ever found out was that Islam miscalculated by burning 4-months quota of cars in 4-weeks, something scary to even the French Govt and Media.


14 posted on 11/22/2005 2:04:51 AM PST by Jumper
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To: Lorianne
What an idiot...it's like he didn't think we noticed what they were up to.

Now here's a question. In his mind, why did he think the sight of burning cars would move the popular opinion to the right? Would it be because the Left was incompetent?

15 posted on 11/22/2005 2:08:12 AM PST by highlander_UW (I don't know what my future holds, but I know Who holds my future)
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To: oyez

Exactly. They'd rather become prisoners in their own country by a faction of lunatic mohammedan invaders than be saved by their own people who will corral these enemies of the West and deport them. Charles Martel must be spinning at 10,000 rpms in his grave. Talk about a slow, agonizing death wish.


16 posted on 11/22/2005 2:13:38 AM PST by john drake (roman military maxim: "oderint dum metuant, i.e., let them hate, as long as they fear")
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To: highlander_UW
"Would it be because the Left was incompetent?"

you got it. notice if the rioters had any brains they would make sure none of these journalists cars are touched.

17 posted on 11/22/2005 2:19:05 AM PST by Steve Van Doorn (*in my best Eric cartman voice* “I love you guys”)
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To: Lorianne

No wonder Kerry feels at home in France.


18 posted on 11/22/2005 2:35:45 AM PST by hershey
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To: Lorianne

It's not just the news, it's who controls the news.


19 posted on 11/22/2005 2:59:03 AM PST by aardvark1 (Eschew obfuscation.)
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To: Lorianne

Dog bites man story.


20 posted on 11/22/2005 4:41:42 AM PST by jmaroneps37 (We will never murtha to the terrorists. Bring home the troops means bring home the war.)
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