Resumen de France: : Audiovisual media handling of terrorist crimes
The coverage of the tragic events in France on 7, 8 and 9 January 2015 by the audiovisual media have been the subject of debate.
On the day of the massacre at Charlie Hebdo, Olivier Schrameck, Chairman of the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (audiovisual regulatory authority - CSA), paid “tribute to all those whose talent and bravery serve to promote the freedom of expression, an essential prerequisite for democracy, even at the cost of their lives, without ever giving in to the contemptible threats they may receive”. Two days later, when the continuous news channels, as well as TF1 and France 2, were covering the news of the events live, in a race for information on the subsequent attacks, the CSA sent a memo to editorial teams reminding them that they should exercise caution and urged the television and radio stations to “act with the greatest possible discernment”, with the “two-fold aim of ensuring the safety of their teams and enabling the law enforcement bodies to carry out their duties with the necessary effectiveness”.
