Far right wants to gut public media, France TV boss says – POLITICO

PARIS — French public media will cease to exist if the far-right National Rally follows through on its pledge to privatize it, warned the head of France Télévisions as Marine Le Pen edges closer to power.

“In France there is a political party that has clearly said what it plans to do with public broadcasting: privatize it, which in reality means eliminating it,” said France TV CEO Delphine Ernotte in an exclusive interview.

Le Pen and her allies have long accused the French state of using taxpayer money to fund news coverage and cultural content that promotes a progressive agenda. And with polls showing her well-placed to win next year’s presidential election, the National Rally’s pledge to privatize or dismantle state-funded media has never been closer to becoming reality.