Media in France

France has one of the largest populations in Europe with around 66 million people living in the republic [1]. The capital city, Paris, is in fact the 5th most populated city in Europe [7], while also ranking 6th in ‘Top 10 Richest Cities In The World 2013’ [8]. Furthermore, as of the 2012 May elections, the current President of the country is the ‘Socialist Party’ leader François Hollande. One of the most interesting concepts around the electoral system in France is their unique governing system implicated; the elected President appoints a Prime minister (in this case Manuel Valls), with who they will share their granted executive powers with [along with the cabinet]. This system is referred to as ‘semi-presidential’ governing and is only used in 28 countries around the world including Russia.

Semi-presidential system countries [http://chartsbin.com/view/12813]

Though currently the French media is not strictly regulated by the government, there are laws that prohibit certain aspects of the constitutional right to ‘freedom of speech’. These prohibitions are essentially when one infringes another individuals right or promotes hate upon a particular "ethnic group, a nation, a race or a religion" [9]. Therefore, much like the American constitution amendments and laws have been passed, e.g. Gayssot Act. Furthermore, the CSA (Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel) are in fact a regulatory body that deals with electronic sources of media violation (TV and radio mainly). They are often an advisory body, but can be the cause of censorship.

According to figures, the French Media industry is responsible for around 14.8% of Europe’s total industry valuation. Unsurprisingly, France’s media worth is set to rise by 11.6% from $40.4 billion to $45.4 billion by 2018. 

Much of the French media is dominated by broadcast & cable TV and the publishing sector (41.4% + 41.1%), together responsible for 82.5% of the market [2]. This kind of domination has resulted in huge media companies making a large profit, for example ‘Vivendi’; the biggest entertainment organisation in France. The revenue for this particular company was $27.44 billion in 2013 [4]. 

Figures showing decline in revenue for Vivendi
[http://www.statista.com/statistics/194506/global-revenue-of-vivendi-since-2006/]

However, recently figures suggest that the media companies revenue has decreased meaning that sales within the media has. Since 2010 Vivendi has lost around $6.7 billion of annual revenue [4]. These declining figures tend to be consistent throughout the media in France, with ‘Le Figaro’, the largest national selling newspaper, supporting the trend recently having their worst circulation figure of the last decade [330,952 compared to 366,690].

Essentially, the cause of these declines throughout the French media could be due to the recent technological advances that have exploited new platform’s undermining the media’s use. The internet is beginning to present opportunities that are easier and faster than what the media can produce. Simplifying it; the internet has a huge penetration and accessibility in comparison to the media and in particular news organisations. France has a internet penetration rate of 83.3%, which is larger percentage than any French newspaper currently has [10]. 

In conclusion the media organisations within France have begun to acknowledge illegal piracy and the huge accessibility the internet offers to the public. Therefore, much like Facebook has done (harnessed the power accessibility offers, evident in 25.5 million people having accounts on Facebook in France) the media has now switched focus to online content. 

The Sociological Factors Affecting Your News

Modern day published news is often considered the result of tailored factors that affect the process of writing news stories. These environmental factors are in effect because media organisations operate within society’s regulated rules. This means that the rules of society, whether they are codified or not, have direct influence on the way in which the news is written and displayed [1].

Impacting on today’s news production are the political, economical, social and technological factors. Essentially, these factors constitute what news organisations consider during the process of news making- between the actual event and the final published story. The influence these factors can have is evident within the published media of many news organisations. Focusing on the political factor as an example, then enables an analysis of the sociological approach to journalism.

The nature of a political system often dictates the function of the news media in society, meaning in a liberal environment the role of the media would be to act as a watchdog [2]. A prime example of the political system causing the media to act in this way is apparent in the ‘Watergate Scandal’ of 1972 in the USA, in which two journalists acting in the interest of the public revealed the illegal behaviour of a President and his re-election committee.

In contrast, an authoritarian government would not allow many harsh or harmful depictions to be published against them. An example of this is the recent Chinese riots, of which very few journalists reported, due to the restrictions and regulations of the government. Videos and social media comments were posted on various platforms, only to be shortly prohibited by the Chinese government/regulatory body.

The political culture of society is also said to play a part in the news orientation. It’s a belief that the social norms and shaping of regions can create a culture that influences the focus of the media. For instance, one of the largest target audiences for newspapers in the UK would be the working-class, who are predominantly associated with Labour party votes. Therefore some newspapers, such as the ‘Daily Mirror’ feel obliged or influenced to support the views of their target audience with similar stories.

Labour Party-Lower Class Vote Link

Political pressure is one of the final factors within political systems that McNair draws up upon. The most radical form of political pressure can be presented in the form of informal lobbying, which has essentially corrupted many politicians in the eyes of the public. Lobbying is the notion that a government official can be influenced by other forces/individuals, discarding the obligation they have to the public. This kind of behaviour has led to close relationships between massive media corporations and politicians. Most notably the Thatcher-Murdoch liaison, seemed to be the most effective, as Rupert Murdoch (who owned the most influential newspapers in the country) secured Margaret Thatcher three general election wins in UK parliament.

Other political pressures present themselves in the form of legislation, physical disruption and censorship.

Overall, political systems have a huge effect on the final work of published news organisations. The sub-factors previously mentioned within this news effecting concept are prime examples of "media ecology"[4]. These elements fit with Harrison’s description, that the sociology of journalism is the “ecology of news”.

The Role Of The Media: A Cause For Concern

It’s often suggested that the media is a mechanism used as an independent, self-regulating body, monitoring and questioning the concentrated power to ensure that it is not abused or violated. The circulation of the term, ‘fourth estate’ is accredited to Edmund Burke during the late 17th century and it referred to the estate which had not been formally recognised (the media) amongst the three other three within parliament [1].  However, in recent years the media has been criticised for the ‘function’ it currently serves in society, as many argue that some media organisations are becoming huge institutes violating their self-assigned power.

Burke argued that ‘established social classes’ had the opportunity to infringe the power they had in society and that, essentially, an independent media source prevents this. However, in recent years there have been many examples of ‘independent’ media sources becoming institutes that own many media outlets, fundamentally having more platforms to convey their ideology or ‘voice’. This potentially disrupts the notion of independent media, therefore if the media organisation is that influential it can potentially determine the outcome of a general election.  In 1992 is exactly what allegedly happened (‘The Sun’ was credited with helping John Major win the general election).

‘The Sun’ (which has an average of 13.4 million readers a week in the UK), amongst many British news outlets such as ‘News of the World’, ‘The Times’ and ‘Sky’ was an asset of ‘News Corporation’ owned by one individual- Rupert Murdoch [2]. Questions could potentially be asked of whether Rupert Murdoch owning ‘News Corporation’, which was the second largest multinational mass media in the world, is any less influential on society than in fact being in parliament. The well-known close alliance between Murdoch and Thatcher during the 1980’s completely undermines Burke’s theory that “it was necessary for certain ‘independent’ voices to take on the task of watching over them. The task was given to the media”.

It seems that the media is becoming more and more involved in political, cultural and economic manipulation due to other interests that don’t particularly include acting as the ‘fourth state’. The most recent general election seems to be the best example of the media not acting as a ‘watchdog’, since many news outlets supported and wrote positive articles on a particular party simply for financial or influential gain. Therefore, in recent years figures suggest the public have grown tired of the expensive and mediocre electoral campaigns and have instead become apathetic towards electoral impact, during what was a devastating recession amongst other issues.

[3]

Figures over the last decade have greatly declined, potentially implying that the media cannot keep the public engaged and up to date with politics. With a vested interest, the media seem to be bowing to the capitalist bourgeoisie.  The focus has often shifted from the parliamentary impact a party would have, to the personal issues and background of an individual. 

The media appears to reinforce the inequalities throughout society, by acting in the interests of the organisation rather than the public or industry. With the influence of the media on the public greater than ever,  and the strive for financial gain ever increasing, it could be said that Burke’s utilitarian notion of the media providing public service is currently neglected.

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[1] Edmund Burke - Slide Shows - Francois Nel 

'Lecture 2 Approaches/Paradigms in the study of journalism'

[2] The Sun Figures - Gavriel Hollander (29 August 2013)

 http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/uk-newspapers-ranked-total-readership-print-and-online

[3] UK Political Info - House of Commons (image)

http://www.ukpolitical.info/Turnout45.htm