segunda-feira, maio 23, 2005: French media in referendum 'bias' row

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A group of journalists from French state TV and radio are so angered by what they see as one-sided propaganda campaign being broadcast on the airwaves on behalf of the government and the Yes campaign that they have set up an online petition, signed by more than 15,000 people since 1 May.

They presented it to President Jacques Chirac, the heads of French TV and radio and to the director of the CSA French broadcasting standards authority, Dominique Baudis.
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He and his colleague Jean-Marc Surcin, a documentary-maker for France 2, agree that French newspapers have been no different, with most overtly supporting the Yes campaign.

However, it is the role of publicly-funded and publicly-accountable state broadcasters which angers them most.

"These are broadcasters paid for by the public, and they should be reflecting both sides of the debate fairly," Jean-Marc Surcin tells me.

They were granted a lengthy meeting with Mr Baudis, in which the journalists pointed out that according to their figures, French TV and radio had given 71% of its time to the Yes campaigners, and devoted a mere 29% to the No campaign between 1 January and 31 March.

However, his response was not encouraging.

He said that according to his figures, any possible bias had since been corrected - with 57% of airtime given to the Yes, and 43% for the No between 4 April and 13 May, with strict regulations in place since the start of the official campaigning last Monday to ensure that each party is given airtime for campaign ads according to the strength of its vote in the last elections.
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BBC NEWS

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