Commission of inquiry into public broadcasting: the boss of Radio France denounces the “distortions” of her remarks

One last letter before the Christmas holidays. While its work has just been interrupted for a fortnight, the office of the Commission of Inquiry into the Neutrality of Public Broadcasting received this Friday an official letter accompanied by emails. The sender? Sibyle Veil, the president of Radio France, whom the working group of the National Assembly heard this Wednesday.

If the leader first “thanks” the deputies for their “attention” and their “questions”, she especially wants to complain about the publications on the social network X of the rapporteur of the commission of inquiry, the UDR deputy Charles Alloncle. “It seems essential to me that the comments made during these hearings are relayed accurately so as not to alter our fellow citizens’ understanding of what is said there,” she wrote in this text sent to around ten elected officials (president, rapporteur, vice-presidents, secretaries), and which Le Parisien was able to consult. And to complain about “several public distortions” noted on the account

Sibyle Veil then lists a series of recent tweets from Charles Alloncle. Providing them with corrections – “this statement is false” – she is surprised that they were sometimes published “during the hearing”. The posts concerned concern both the number of weeks of vacation for his company’s employees and the conditions for the dismissal of journalist Jean-François Achilli, including a comedian from France Inter presented as a “journalist” in a tweet from the MP.

“I wonder about this process”

Sibyle Veil also says she is “challenged” by a message from Charles Alloncle on the same social network. The MP wrote there on December 17: “During her hearing, Sibyle Veil, president of Radio France, described the Patrick Cohen/Thomas Legrand affair as simple clumsiness. However, the facts are extremely serious: it is, I remind you, a possible misappropriation of public funds for electoral purposes.” “Extremely serious” accusations which are “not supported by any facts”, tackles Sibyle Veil. “I wonder about this process when no discussion in committee has taken place on this accusation, however serious,” she concludes.

In an interview on Wednesday on France Inter, the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, claimed to be “in the process of calling to order the rapporteur” of the commission of inquiry on respect for the “rules” and “customs” of the chamber, in particular on the “live-tweets” (live publications on the hearings) of the deputies. “A President of the National Assembly should not say that,” retorted Charles Alloncle, right in his boots, on X. “I will carry out my mission to the end, without failing and without giving in to the slightest intimidation.”

When contacted, Radio France did not wish to comment, while MP Charles Alloncle did not respond. After hearing on Thursday the bosses of the France Inter and France Télévisions programs, but also Patrick Cohen and Thomas Legrand, the commission of inquiry into the neutrality of public broadcasting will suspend its work for the duration of the confectioners’ truce. The hearings will resume at the beginning of January for a final report expected by the beginning of April.