It is surely one of the professions which arouse the most fantasies and curiosity at the same time. Accused in turn of being too partisan or not enough, of wanting to hide information from the public or, on the contrary, of being shit-diggers interested only in the click and the buzz, journalists have not really the odds and yet, no one is indifferent to the information disseminated by them.
But how do journalists really work? How do they smell a subject? Why do they decide that one investigation is worth doing over another? And when their revelations go viral, how do they deal with criticism, threats and praise? In Mechanics of journalism, a native podcast produced by France Culture and somewhat derived from the very good Mechanics of conspiracy, journalists, authors of investigations that have become affairs of state, recount their work and its repercussions at Elise Karlin’s microphone.
At the heart of the Cahuzac affair
First to lend himself to the exercise, Fabrice Arfi of Mediapart, a figure recognized in the media community for having been at the origin of business Woerth-Bettencourt, Karachi, Sarkozy-Gaddafi and finally the Cahuzac affair, this politico-financial scandal which brought down a minister in office. It is the latter that is discussed in the first season in four episodes of Mechanics of journalism, without of course ever revealing its sources.
The journalist from Mediapart details the different stages of his investigation, which began on a simple suspicion of dubious political connivance between Jérôme Cahuzac and Éric Woerth. Political enemies, the two men nevertheless seem very quick to help each other when the need arises. It does not take more for the journalist to pull the thread and gradually ascend to the account in Switzerland of the current Budget Minister, who had made tax fraud his political battle horse.
An exciting political, legal and media soap opera follows, which Fabrice Arfi recounts brilliantly, not forgetting to include some crisp anecdotes on how he obtained certain recordings (spoiler: with alcohol).
Media education
The second season devoted to the Alexandre Benalla affair is told by the great reporter of the World Ariane Chemin, first to be published in summer 2018 the identity of this unofficial adviser to Macron involved in violence during the demonstration of the 1is may. Even if it is less detailed than that of the first season, we nonetheless listen carefully to the story of an a priori harmless discovery that has become the first state affair of the five-year Macron term.
We regret that the series only gives voice to stars of journalism, great reporters and recognized writers, giving this profession a noble and glamorous image, but at the same time erasing somewhat the precariousness of the profession and the hindsight. freedom of the press.
Mechanics of journalism despite everything, remains a fascinating series and a tool for media education that reveals the behind the scenes of major investigations that have become affairs of state. To be continued, business Ben Barka, Rainbow Warrior, Clearstream or Fillon. What reminds us of the absolute necessity of the media and the counter-power they exercise.
–
