France’s media regulator, Arcom, has been asked to investigate the right-leaning news channel CNews over its coverage of Marine Le Pen’s conviction this week. The 24-hour news channel is accused of being too one-sided, too sympathetic to Le Pen, and too critical of the judiciary in its editorial response to the decision that knocked her out of the presidential race.
On Monday, Marine Le Pen was convicted by the Paris Criminal Court of misusing European Parliament funds – a four-year sentence, with two years suspended and two years with an ankle tag, a €100,000 fine (around £85,000) – and a five-year ban from holding public office which came immediately into effect. Within 48 hours, Arcom, France’s broadcasting regulator, confirmed it had received multiple formal complaints about CNews.
CNews’s coverage of the verdict on Monday night may have hit the highest viewership metrics since it started in 2017, outperforming all competitors. The verdict dominated the evening’s programming, with extended analysis, panel discussion, and repeated framing of the court’s decision as a politically charged attack on France’s leading opposition figure.
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