How do the French and British media compare?
I think the French media is much more docile than the British media. The serious parts of the French media – they don’t really have a tabloid tradition – Le Monde and Le Figaro – regard themselves as the publishing arms of the state. They are very gentle in their criticism. I remember in the 80s James Goldsmith had a dinner with the editor of Le Monde. When he talked about France and foreign policy it was like hearing a government minister. There is less of an independent Anglo-Saxon tradition – there’s almost no investigative journalism tradition. I remember on the Sunday Times when we revealed the blowing up of the Rainbow Warrior had links with Mitterrand’s private office. They were asking themselves why do we have to read this in the Sunday Times? Even up to the 1960s, I was told, the running orders of the main network news was telexed to the interior minister in advance. I think it means that French politicians have traditionally been able to get away with a lot more than British
