 | |
 | |
| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | newspaper |
| Owner | Michel Gaillard |
| Editor | S.A. Les Éditions Maréchal |
| Founded | 1915; 111 years ago (1915) |
| Political alignment | Independent |
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Circulation | 340,000 weekly (2018) |
| ISSN | 0008-5405 |
| Website | lecanardenchaine.fr |
Le Canard enchaîné (French pronunciation:[ləkanaʁɑ̃ʃɛne]; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper" ascanard in French slang means "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters are in Paris.[1]
Founded in 1915 duringWorld War I, it featuresinvestigative journalism and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and cartoons.Le Canard enchaîné does not accept any advertisements and is privately owned, mostly by its own employees.
The name is a reference toRadicalGeorges Clemenceau's newspaperL'homme libre (‘The Free Man’), which was forced to close bygovernment censorship and reacted upon its reopening by changing its name toL'homme enchaîné ("The Chained Man");Le Canard enchaîné means ‘The chained duck’ butcanard (duck) is also French slang for ‘newspaper’; it was also a reference to French journals published by soldiers duringWorld War I.
The weekly was founded in 1915[2] byMaurice Maréchal (journalist) [fr] and his wife,Jeanne Maréchal [fr], along withH. P. Gassier.[3] It changed its title briefly afterWorld War I toLe Canard Déchaîné (‘The duck unbound’ or ‘out of control’) to celebrate the end of military censorship of the press. It resumed the titleLe Canard enchaîné in 1920.
The title also conveys adouble meaning, ‘canard’ being a possible salacious rumour or whisper and ‘enchaîné’ simply meaning linked, hence ‘the inside whisper’. It continued to publish and grow in popularity and influence until it was forced to suspend publication during theGerman occupation of France in 1940. Afterthe liberation of France it resumed publication. It changed to its eight-page format in the 1960s.
Many of theCanard's early contributors were members of theCommunist andSocialist parties, but it shed its alignment with those groups in the 1920s. Its current owners are not tied to any political or economic group. It now avoids any political alignment, and has gained a reputation for publishing incriminating stories and criticizing any political party with no preference. It is also fairlyanti-clerical and lampoons thenobility. TheCanard does not accept anyadvertisements.
In the 1920s it used to provide free advertising forLe Crapouillot, another satirical magazine created byJean Galtier-Boissière, a friend of Maurice Maréchal. SimilarlyLe Crapouillot carried free advertisements for theCanard. Relations between the two magazines soured during theSpanish Civil War since Maréchal supported theSpanish Republican government ofMadrid whilst Galtier-Boissière remained strictlypacifist. TheCanard and its format served as an inspiration for the satirical weekly magazineEl Be Negre, published inBarcelona between 1931 and 1936.[4]
TheCanard has a fixed eight-page layout. Pages 1, 2–4 and 8 are mostly news and editorials. Page 2 carries anecdotes from the political and business world. Pages 5–7 are dedicated to social issues (such as the environment), profiles, general humour and satire, and literary, theatre, opera and film criticism. One section, calledl'Album de la Comtesse, is dedicated tospoonerisms.
TheCanard is notable because of its focus on scandals in Frenchgovernmental and business circles, although it does also cover other countries. Although they became more aggressive duringFrançois Mitterrand's presidency, major French newspapers are traditionally reluctant to challenge government corruption or pursue embarrassing scandals (the rationale being that revealing political or business scandals only profits extremists on the far-left or far-right); hence, theCanard fills that gap. TheCanard publishes insider knowledge on politicians and leaks from administration officials, including information fromwhistle-blowers. Generally, theCanard is well informed about happenings within the world of French politics. Its revelations have sometimes brought about the resignation of cabinet ministers.
Some of the information published by theCanard clearly comes from very well-placed sources, who are likely to include ministerial aides.Charles de Gaulle was a frequent target, and was known to ask, "What does the bird have to say?" (Que dit le volatile?) every Wednesday – the dayCanard would roll off the presses. There are often verbatim and off-the-record quotes from major politicians, including the president and prime minister, usually aimed at another politician.
The paper's international coverage has been pretty spotty, though it has improved. It relies mostly on leaks from French government services and reports from the other media.
It also publishessatiricalcartoons and jokes. The factual and jocular columns are cleanly delineated.
Every issue includes short political news (Mare au Canards); weekly profile (Prises de Bec); news from the media world; sections of press clippings (typos and malapropisms found in the French press)Rue des petites perles andÀ travers la presse déchaînée; the section which highlights the two most absurd or incomprehensible sentences of the week by politicians, respectively hanging them up on themur du çon or awarding them thenoix d'honneur; as well as itsSur l'Album de la Comtesse section of comic, crypticspoonerisms. Some features are recurring but not present in every issue, such as bogus humorous interviews (interviews (presque) imaginaires) which have been copied by many others.
Across the years, it also included recurring features focusing on one or more personalities of the day. Notably during the 1960s,Roger Fressoz [fr] and the cartoonistRoland Moisan [fr] created a series,La Cour, which was a parody ofLouis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon'sMemoirs on the Reign ofLouis XIV.Charles de Gaulle was turned into the king, and the deputies and the senators intocourtiers. Thus, inLa Cour,François Mitterrand became the ever-scheming count ofChâteau-Chinon. InLa Cour, the king would address his subjects by means of theétranges lucarnes (strange windows), a phrase de Gaulle had employed about television. After the death of de Gaulle,La Cour becameLa Régence withGeorges Pompidou being theregent. This followed the Memoirs of Saint-Simon, which also extend into the Regency ofPhilippe II, Duke of Orléans that followed the death of Louis XIV. After the death of Georges Pompidou,La Régence was stopped.
Later long-running features include comical imaginary diaries such as theJournal de Xavière T. (following allegations of fake work done byXavière Tiberi, wife of the thenmayor of Paris); theJournal de Carla B. (describingCarla Bruni'sbohemian-bourgeois reactions towards events involving her husband, then PresidentNicolas Sarkozy); theJournal de Penelope F. (in the run-up to the2017 presidential election and following allegations of fake work byPenelope Fillon, wife of theLes Républicains candidateFrançois Fillon).
TheCanard also reports on topics affecting the general population: scandals in industries (workforce, safety issues), miscarriages of justice, misconduct in public administrations and services...
As with the Britishsatirical magazinePrivate Eye, it has its own language,jargon and style. In particular, it has nicknames for politicians and personalities.Some examples include:
As of 2004[update], the publisher of theCanard was Michel Gaillard, and the head editors were Claude Angeli and Erik Emptaz. TheCanard's cartoonists include:
Past cartoonists included:
It also publishes a quarterly magazine,Les Dossiers du Canard, dedicated to one subject, usually one affecting French society, or world events as seen from a French perspective.
On 3 December 1973, policemen of theDirectorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST), disguised asplumbers, were caught trying to install a spy microphone in the directorial office ofLe Canard. The resulting scandal forced Interior MinisterRaymond Marcellin to leave the government, though it is said that Marcellin was ascapegoat for other members of the government, especially the Defense Minister, who was intent on knowing the identities of informers for the newspaper.
A series of articles accusing long-servingGaullist minister and possible Prime Ministerial candidateRobert Boulin of involvement in dubious real estate deals was followed by Boulin's mysterious death (October 1979), presumed to be suicide. Following his death, major officials publicly accusedLe Canard enchaîné of the moral responsibility for Boulin's death, and there were broad hints the government might use the reaction to the Boulin death to seek stricter libel laws, as was done in the 1930s after the suicide ofRoger Salengro.
Jacques Chaban-Delmas, then President of the National Assembly, who had been politically identified with Boulin for many years, told a special memorial session of the assembly that it should "draw the lessons of this tragedy, of this assassination". After meeting with PresidentValéry Giscard d'Estaing, Prime MinisterRaymond Barre called for "meditation upon the consequences of certain ignominies", and spoke of "a baseness". President Giscard d'Estaing also added to the criticism: Boulin, he said, "was unable to resist the campaign of harassment he was subjected to. Public opinion should severely condemn any other similar campaigns."
TheCanard is published byLes Éditions Maréchal-Le Canard enchaîné (Maurice and Jeanne Maréchal founded theCanard), which is privately owned; the main associates are Michel Gaillard (CEO and director of publication), André Escaro, Nicolas Brimo, Erik Emptaz and employees of the newspaper.
Because it does not accept advertisements (being free of sponsors), being entirely privately owned (being the same,) and because its publishing costs are met by its sales,Le Canard Enchaîné is considered[by whom?] one of (if not the) most objective French publications—hence its continued existence.
Despite declining newspaper circulations in France and elsewhereCanard is rich and growing. It owns cash reserves and property worth 110 million euros. It runs cheaply and profitably, restricting itself to eight pages of two-colour newsprint each week.
Circulation has risen by a third since 2007, its scandal-fuelled growth having seen a rise to 700,000 copies printed and sold each week. Its net profit in 2009 was 5 million euros.
Media related toLe Canard enchaîné at Wikimedia Commons
