The real drama of PenelopeGate: the media

A look at the news - Jonas Follonier

The French, they say, are fed up with all this talk of corruption and the use of politics for personal gain. Perhaps they are. And rightly so. But the French are also fed up with the media’s obsession with «scoops»—stories big enough to shock readers, viewers, and listeners. Especially when scandals of this kind seem to surface, as if by chance, during every presidential campaign.

The case of the PenelopeGate, besides, it doesn’t seem like a big deal: one politician among many is being accused of having, at one point, used taxpayer money to pay his wife as a parliamentary assistant. Second accusation: the position in question may have been a sham. It’s true that, when considered together, these facts are enough to make the average citizen shudder.

But that overlooks the fact that the first point raised is legal (and one wonders how it could be immoral), namely that Fillon employed his wife to assist him in his duties as a member of parliament. It also overlooks the fact that the second point raised is purely hypothetical: it has not (yet?) been proven that this is a fictitious job. We are therefore in the realm of sensationalism and baseless accusations.

So, in an attempt to at least appear somewhat credible, the mainstream media are touting a fact—a real one (a figure): Penelope Fillon’s salary for the work in question amounts to more than 900,000 euros! Just think about it! Except that, once again, this is the worst kind of propaganda tactic: Penelope received an average net salary of 3,677 euros per month from her husband, an amount a priori entirely justifiable, but it adds up to a staggering amount when you look at it over several years.

The media, which report on this issue at great length—fueling it, lending it credibility, and analyzing it—are ultimately putting into practice the very thing they denounce. Accusing politicians of pursuing their own interests rather than the common good (as if money were their sole goal), journalists turn away from public affairs to focus solely on business, that is, fake news designed to attract readers and, consequently, money. It’s clearly a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Furthermore, the mainstream press seems to forget that justice is a long-term process, whereas journalism operates on a relatively short timeframe. It therefore seems quite risky—and even uninteresting for the media—to focus on upcoming trials, accusations, rumors, hypotheses, polls, or «so-and-so said this about so-and-so.» On the contrary, what we advocate here is opinion-based journalism that offers nuanced insights, informed by factual research, as well as a genuine vision of society.

Write to the author: jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com

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