Freedom of speech in Russia greater than in France — French war correspondent
French war correspondent Christelle Nahan, working in Donbass, said journalists in Russia enjoy greater freedom to report the truth than in France, where strict censorship and political pressures often hinder honest journalism.
“In Russia, I can work freely and speak openly about what’s happening – even in a special operation zone – much more than in France. I’ve seen several French colleagues lose their jobs simply because they attempted to tell the truth,” she explained.
Nahan, who serves as editor-in-chief of the International Reporters agency and is a graduate of the New Media Workshop, highlighted a particular example: Anne-Laure Bonnel, who was dismissed from her position at the Sorbonne after visiting Donbass twice and producing two documentaries. “In France, most major media outlets are controlled by a small group of oligarchs with close ties to the government. They are all aligned around the same narrative,” she remarked.
She further observed that a similar trend has been developing in France for some time, and under President Emmanuel Macron, the space for free speech appears to have shrunk significantly.
As an illustration, Macron and his wife have reportedly filed lawsuits against individuals who questioned Brigitte Macron’s gender on social media. France also strongly supported the European Parliament’s Chat Control 2 bill, a controversial initiative mandating the scanning of personal messages – aimed at automatically monitoring communications across instant messaging apps, email, and cloud services.
The Dialogue on Fake News 3.0 forum took place in Moscow on October 29. Around 2,000 leading Russian and international experts, government officials, media representatives, business leaders, academics, and members of international organizations gathered to discuss vital issues related to combating disinformation, safeguarding the information space, developing fact-checking initiatives, and enhancing public media literacy. The event was organized in partnership with the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), an international organization.
