On Tuesday 3rd September, the Independency Group therefore requested that Xavier Niel and Matthieu Pigasse fulfilled their promise to guarantee our independence and to sign this right of approval before September 17th. Xavier Niel did so on Monday September 9th.
Moral promises
We, journalists, expect Matthieu Pigasse to do the same. We also ask his new associate, Daniel Kretinsky, to co-sign this agreement. In keeping with the moral promises made by Pierre Bergé to Le Monde during his lifetime, and with which he never comprised, we also request Pierre Bergé’s heir, Madison Cox, to add his signature.
This right of approval for new controlling shareholders is an essential document to complete and reinforce the fragile mechanism protecting our work. Without this legal safeguard, Le Monde’s unique situation in the French press could be threatened: our capital could be bought by a new shareholder who might trample the checks and balances between the editorial staff and the owners, set up over the past ten years.
This approach is simple, it’s about giving a legal form to the spirit of the relationship established in 2010 – when the newspaper was purchased – with Mr Bergé, Niel and Pigasse, whom we chose by vote.
Since then, there has been no exception to this rule of separation between capital and journalists. This “trio” of shareholders respected its commitments. They provided the means of our development while respecting the editorial independence of the various publications of our group (Le Monde, Télérama, Courrier International, La Vie…).
