France Médias Monde’s independence
Public service media offering free and independent news worldwide
France Médias Monde is a public service group that provides its audiences around the world a free, independent, honest and balanced news. This independence, which underpins the credibility of its media outlets on the international stage, is guaranteed not only by the numerous legislative and legal texts that govern the group’s activities, but also by the way it is financed and how its directors are appointed.
Legislation guarantees France Médias Monde’s independence
In France, the Constitutional Council has twice enshrined the independence of public service media as a principle of constitutional value.
The law also provides guarantees of independence for public broadcasting companies, specifying for example that a public authority independent of political power, ARCOM (the French Digital Communication and Broadcasting Regulator) appoints the CEO of France Médias Monde.
The Group’s independence is also ensured by the way its Administrative Board is appointed, where the number of independent figures appointed by ARCOM is equal to that of the State representatives.
A group financed by the contribution of all French citizens
France Médias Monde is 95% financed by a fraction of the proceeds of value added tax (VAT), a consumption tax paid by all French citizens, which is allocated each year to the public broadcasting companies. The fact that this funding comes from a tax paid by all French citizens, directly allocated to France Médias Monde, means that the group is not dependent on the State budget.
Independence at the heart of France Médias Monde’s terms of reference
The preamble to FMM’s terms of reference (cahier des charges) stipulates that the group’s media outlets are to offer news that is independent of political power, in several languages.
The terms of reference also set out a number of obligations for the group in terms of respect for pluralism, freedom of expression for all schools of thought, independent news and honest programmes.
It also guarantees France Médias Monde’s independence from economic players, with a very strict and transparent framework for the use of advertisers and sponsorship on the airwaves.
Independence also underpinned by the Group’s strict ethical framework
Over the years, France Médias Monde has developed a set of texts, procedures and internal bodies formalising a clear, transparent and strict ethical framework applicable to all editorial activities carried out by the editorial offices:
- Ethics charter for Journalists (available in French, English, Arabic and Spanish)
- Document governing journalists’ external collaborations
- Committee on Honesty, Independence and Pluralism of Information and Programmes (CHIPIP)
- Internal ethics commission
- Framework document on editorial security
France Médias Monde certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative
France Médias Monde has achieved the Journalism Trust Initiative certification (JTI), securing a perfect score of 100% in the overall rating. France Médias Monde not only met but exceeded the minimum recommended score for each certification point.
This certification, developed as an international ISO professional standard, is an initiative by Reporters Without Borders aimed at promoting free and independent information globally. It evaluates journalism based on criteria that assess editorial reliability, adherence to ethical and journalistic principles, and respect for journalistic ethics.
The certification process involves a rigorous 200-question test covering various aspects such as editorial organization (including ethics, editorial independence, protection of sources, accuracy, and transparency), funding sources, independence of governance and legal structure, and social management practices. France Médias Monde not only met but exceeded the minimum recommended score for each certification point. All of France Médias Monde’s responses to this evaluation are publicly available on the JTI platform (jti-app.com) in the form of a transparency report. This report has undergone external scrutiny by an independent third-party organization, Deloitte, which verified the accuracy of the report and confirmed France Médias Monde’s compliance with JTI’s ethical and deontological standards.