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Dear Friends,
Following the Conseil d'État's decision on February 13, 2024, at the request of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ordering the French audiovisual regulator (Arcom) to better enforce independence and pluralism on CNews, the Bolloré group has reacted by branding RSF as the gravedigger of freedom of expression. Europe 1 and CNews programs even broadcast exaggerated statements about the court ruling. This was followed by an outpouring of insults and hatred directed at RSF. Unprecedented in the organisation's recent history.
A few weeks ago, our organization stumbled across a fake website created to harm RSF, and discovered an extensive smear campaign orchestrated by Progressif média, a communications agency. The full range of language for the worst polluters of public debate is put to use : counterfeiting, dissimulation, cybersquatting, trolling, disinformation, etc. It also turns out that this company operates from premises owned by Vivendi, the group controlled by Vincent Bolloré's family.
After further investigation, we discovered that the strong reactions to the Conseil d'État's decision are actually more the result of an organised online campaign than spontaneous reactions.
In an exclusive investigation based on both technical investigation and fieldwork, RSF reveals the inner workings of this smear campaign.
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