It’s not the Elysée’s job to choose journalists, RSF says

The Elysée Palace sent the media a disturbing signal today by announcing that it wants to choose which journalists accompany President Emmanuel Macron when he travels, both within France and abroad.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is concerned that this measure, announced four days after Macron’s inauguration, could be used as a way of putting pressure on the media.

The Elysée Palace is reserving itself the right to cherry-pick journalists on the grounds that the presence of too many reporters accompanying the president will obstruct his relationship with the French people.

“It’s not the Elysée’s job to select journalists during official trips,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire said. “The grounds given by President Macron’s spokesperson is illogical, inasmuch as using pools to limit the number of journalists at an event doesn’t mean you get to pick who is allowed to cover the president’s trips. If that were to happen, it would be unwarranted political interference.”