This week, France’s public broadcaster made the choice to obscure a classical statue during a prime-time news interview, which has led to intense backlash online.
The statue, created by Louis Cosmet de Maille in 1894, was deemed, perhaps somewhat unreasonably, inappropriate by France Télévisions for its main news channels. The sculpture, which shows a naked couple in an embrace, was blurred out during Tuesday’s airing of “20 Hours.”
During the segment, French constitutional law expert Benjamin Morel was interviewed in the public garden at Place Issy-les-Moulineaux, home to the statue.
This decision, made on a show led by the often-controversial Lea Salameh, a journalist of Lebanese descent, quickly sparked outrage across social media platforms.
One user commented, “Artificial intelligence saves stupidity. Respect the anonymity of the law. Even the European Union never thought of such a thing.”
French entrepreneur Jérôme Bouleau-Guggenheim humorously questioned if this was the “new standard” being enforced by Salameh.
Some observers speculated there might be deeper issues at play. Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a Member of the National Assembly, remarked that French Television’s action was a continuation of their trend of censoring Judeo-Christian symbols. He argued, “What’s next? Are we going to erase all artistic nudity in the name of moderation?”
The broadcaster later issued an apology, though it failed to clarify the reasoning behind the statue’s censorship.
The account for “20 Hours” stated, “In a segment about the number of laws in France, we unintentionally aired an interview with a blurred background. This was an individual error. We apologize to our viewers.”
Since Salameh took charge last year, this incident is just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the show. Her relationship with French MEP Raphaël Glucksmann has raised concerns over her possible impartiality, especially as he is rumored to be a candidate for next year’s presidential election, potentially replacing Emmanuel Macron.
Additionally, two state-funded journalists were caught on tape discussing plans to influence viewers towards supporting Glucksmann’s candidacy, further complicating the narrative.
