interviews
Interview
Public debate

Hervé Brusini, president of the Albert Londres Prize

The war in Ukraine is a major challenge for journalism.

The Institut français is organising the Café Europa event as part of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. A dialogue between journalists and European citizens on 5 March, in 26 iconic cafés across the continent, to discuss the various challenges facing the media. Loss of reader confidence, journalistic independence, new technologies: there is no shortage of topics for debate. Hervé Brusini, president of the Albert Londres Prize (partner of the event alongside Reporters Without Borders), offers us a foretaste. 

Updated on 04/03/2022

5 min

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H. Brusini
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© DR

The 35th Baromètre des Médias (French media survey) revealed a historic drop in French people's confidence in the press. What is your view of this breakdown? 

The loss of trust between the media and the public is a political fact that is part of a long process. Unfortunately, this is not the first crisis, but the previous ones have all been forgotten by history. In this respect, it is unfortunate that the world of information is reacting with the urgency of a house burning down, even though it has already dealt with fires. In 1897, for example, the "Revue Bleue" published the work of the philosopher Alfred Fouillée, who claimed that delinquency in France was due to the press. It must be said that at the time, in the wake of the sordid Troppmann affair, newspapers were awash with bloody news stories, even inventing crimes to sell more papers. The First World War followed with propaganda where one could read, among other follies, that German ammunition "caressed" the soldiers' bodies. It was at the end of this major crisis, in 1918, that the first press code of ethics was created. We are living today in a similar period where the technological revolution is bringing this crisis of confidence back to the forefront and intensifying it. The war in Ukraine is a major challenge for journalism, which must fight for the truth by adopting a completely different approach compared to the media treatment of the Gulf War. 

 

What tools do the media have at their disposal to counteract this trend? 

At the moment, the crisis has stunned us, but we need to make it understandable. The pro domo pleas of journalists are not enough, we have to explain what we are doing. In this sense, media literacy is a central issue and must become a real discipline, taught in schools. In a world devastated by what some call "infobesity", it seems to me necessary to teach this art of narrative, of seeking and producing the truth that is part of the rules of journalism. Reporting also plays an important role. Trusted or not, the media is still highly consumed. You can bet that with the Ukrainian crisis, it will be followed particularly closely. Reporters will be our eyes to understand what is happening on the ground in this situation. To be on location, observing and transmitting: this cardinal function of journalism is still our main asset. 

 

At the same time, the arrival of the web and social networks has broadened the channels for disseminating information. What are the consequences for journalistic practice? 

And yet the web is an investigative tool! Every image that reaches us from the four corners of the world is interrogated by young investigators who use the resources of the Internet to find out if the information transmitted is really what it claims to be. I think this is a great twist because it shows that people are still working to critically analyse the mass of images that populate the networks. These lessons offered by digital investigation seem to me to be quite complementary to the approach of reporting. 

 

So digital journalism is a promise of renewal? 

I have always thought it was good news that journalists are no longer like heralds on their mounts, delivering some kind of vision of the event. They are now at the heart of society, and they are accountable. This brings us back to a form of humility. By dint of gorging ourselves with statistics, we have forgotten the human element. The reporter must be on the ground, face to face with people, especially in a war like in Ukraine right now. Portraying these "invisibles", which Pierre Rosanvallon describes so beautifully in his books, is a call to return to reality, to ensure that people recognise themselves in what we do. It is almost a moral responsibility. 

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Hervé Brusini
Personne Citée
Hervé Brusini
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In a democracy, a powerful, free and independent public information service is a beacon.

Faced with these challenges, the media's economic model seems fragile and subject to influence from large groups. How can we continue to produce free and independent information? 

First of all, we must preserve a public service. In a democracy, a powerful, free and independent public information service is a beacon. Having experienced it from the inside, what you see today in programmes like Complément d'enquête or Cash Investigation would have been impossible to achieve 30 years ago. These productions, as well as innovative alliances with consortia of journalists around the world, are remarkable. In addition, even if the concentration of media in large groups is a cause for concern, we must take into account people's desire for pluralism of information. The necessary regulation of the system is a political matter. 

 

As president of the Albert-Londres prize, you are well aware of the challenges facing investigative journalism. What difficulties does it currently face? 

The same ones as always: economic or political interests reluctant to have their turpitude revealed. But there is also a new issue that is being talked about more and more, and not just for journalists: precariousness. It takes a lot of persistence to achieve one's goals when you are not employed by a big newsroom that provides resources. Nevertheless, the picture is not completely bleak. There is also enthusiasm, passion and style in the stories that reach our jury each year. Journalists also find support in the new collaborative platforms that are emerging. 

 

Prix Albert-Londres is a partner of Café Europa, where a wide-ranging discussion is taking place across Europe on the role of journalists and the challenges facing the media. What do you think of this initiative? 

It is a very healthy event. It is a question of seeing together, thanks to our cultural differences, how to reconnect with information, to give it back its value. This is a challenge that not only affects France and Europe, but also societies such as the United States. There is a global movement that sees meeting the other party, talking to each other, as a way of building a response adapted to the situation we are experiencing. In any case, I have a lot of faith in the wealth of current journalism. 

Café Europa (Teaser)
Café Europa (Teaser)
The Institut français and the event

Café Europa 2022 is an original concept from the Institut français, organised locally by the cultural services of the French Embassies and the establishments of the French cultural network abroad, the Alliances Françaises and Instituts Français. The event forms part of the programme established to coincide with the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union. 

 

During the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union, from 1 January to 30 June 2022, the Institut français is working towards the objectives defined by the government for this Presidency. The Institut français will therefore be implementing a series of cultural events and activities to promote European creativity. 

Find out more about the Institut français cultural programme for the FPEU 

L'institut français, LAB