This Saturday, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is in mourning. Christophe Deloire, general director of the organization since 2012, died at the age of 53 following a devastating cancer at the Saint-Louis hospital in Paris, after several weeks of hospitalization.
Christophe Deloire, originally from Paray-le-Monial (Saône-et-Loire), has had a rich and varied career. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (Essec), he started in journalism at TF1 in 1994, then at LCI and Arte. He then joined Le Point as a reporter and developed the “investigation” division of the newspaper, where he was promoted to editor-in-chief. In 2007, he moved to the Springer group for a project for a French version of the daily Bild, which ultimately did not see the light of day.
Author of numerous books, Deloire distinguished himself by his independence and audacity, notably with the best-seller “Sexus politicus” published in 2006, which marked a turning point in the treatment of the private lives of French political figures.
A passionate teacher, he became director of the Journalist Training Center (CFJ) in 2008 and continued his involvement in publishing and professional organizations. In 2012, he was elected secretary general of RSF and re-elected in 2017 and 2022. Under his leadership, RSF opened offices in 130 countries and led major campaigns for press freedom.
Deloire personally worked for the release of incarcerated journalists and participated in the exfiltration of Marina Ovsiannikova from Russia in 2023. He also chaired the Forum on Information and Democracy, and fought against the information disorder promoted by various states .
In 2023, Emmanuel Macron entrusts him with the leadership of the steering committee of the États généraux de l'information, aimed at improving media plurality in France. Deloire has always warned of the dangers of an illiberal society, as described in his book "La Matrice" (2022), where he warns against the influence of technology on democracy.
Christophe Deloire transformed RSF into a world champion for the defense of journalism. Until his last breath, he defended press freedom within international organizations and restored RSF economically by creating photo albums to finance the NGO's actions.
His death is a great loss for journalism and the defense of freedoms.
