"A hostile oligopoly seeking to expand its influence": after the Legrand-Cohen affair, the editorial director of Radio France attacks CNews and Europe 1

More than a week after the broadcast of a video of Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen with elected members of the Socialist Party, the subject remains topical. In the columns of Le Parisien , the editorial director of Radio France , Vincent Meslet, returned to the controversy triggered by the broadcast of an extract filmed by the far-right media outlet l'Incorrect September 5. "I think the clumsiness of Thomas Legrand's remarks resonates with a growing demand for journalistic ethics and a break with any form of collusion," he commented to the daily.

As a reminder, the video in question was filmed in July in a Parisian restaurant. It shows the two journalists, Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen, deep in discussion with Pierre Jouvet and Luc Broussy, respectively secretary general and president of the National Council of the Socialist Party. During this discussion, which also discussed the left's strategy for the 2027 presidential election, Thomas Legrand, who works for France Inter and Libération, declared in particular: "We are doing what is necessary for [Rachida] Dati, Patrick [Cohen] and me." Remarks which could be interpreted by some as a bias against the outgoing Minister of Culture.

Since then, Thomas Legrand has given up his weekly show on France Inter, but he will continue to appear on the air. He was initially dismissed by the radio station , unlike Patrick Cohen, who remained on the air. A position that Vincent Meslet takes up in Le Parisien : "Thomas Legrand utters sentences that could generate suspicion while Patrick Cohen remains silent ," he justifies. "The sequence was violent for him. He was due to debate only two days later on France Inter. The conditions were not right for it to take place in peace."

For him, if this controversy hurts, it is precisely because it affects two of the radio's "vital organs" : "Independence and impartiality. We ensure that we respect these two requirements on a daily basis."

When asked about Radio France's critics accusing him of secretly "rolling" for the left, Vincent Meslet firmly denies it. "It's completely false, " he assures. "Nothing that's broadcast corroborates this accusation, particularly in Patrick Cohen's editorials or Thomas Legrand's programs on the history of political ideas ."

He also points out the diversity of the speakers on the air, who number "around fifty" every day on France Inter , France Info and France Culture. "Unlike some, we don't just comment on the news from our Parisian studios. We go out into the field every day, to meet the French people."

He also discusses how CNews and Europe 1 widely (over)publicized the video of Thomas Legrand and Patrick Cohen, sometimes even giving it "70% to 80% of the airtime in certain segments last weekend. And it continues more than a week later as if there was nothing else to cover in French and international news."

According to Vincent Meslet, this is a way for Bolloré's media to attack Radio France. "We are facing a hostile oligopoly seeking to expand its influence," he says. He adds: "This group is precisely the negation of the pluralism it accuses us of not defending enough." He assures us: "We will not let a competitor destabilize us."