This is a setback for those advocating for the closure of CNews. Meeting on Tuesday, November 10, the members of the National Assembly 's Committee on Cultural Affairs and Education decided to dismiss the petition calling for the "suppression" of the Bolloré Group's news channel. The vote, which was particularly close, resulted in 28 votes in favor of dismissal and 25 against. This decision was made despite more than a million signatures collected on the official National Assembly platform. Alexandre Portier, a member of the Republicans party and chairman of the committee, had proposed not pursuing the request, arguing that it was not up to parliamentarians to decide on the existence of a television channel based on its editorial line.
Exchanges were particularly tense between the different political groups. On the left, several members of parliament defended the need to examine the alleged shortcomings of CNews. Aymeric Caron of La France Insoumise called for a debate focused on the channel's compliance with its obligations to Arcom, while Socialist MP Arthur Delaporte emphasized the accusations of racism made by the signatories. Sophie Taillé-Polian, a Green Party MP, urged her colleagues to heed the message of the mobilized citizens. On the right, National Rally MP Caroline Parmentier denounced an attempt at censorship. Charles Alloncle, representing the UDR, also questioned the appropriateness of dedicating parliamentary proceedings to a demand to shut down a media outlet watched by many French people.
Alexandre Portier defends freedom of expression and proposes another debate
The committee chairman reiterated the limits of Parliament 's authority . "We are not the Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual Communication (Arcom), we are not the courts," stressed Alexandre Portier, refusing to allow members of Parliament to replace the authorities responsible for enforcing audiovisual regulations. The Republican (LR) representative now wants the National Assembly to organize a broader debate on the future of the press, freedom of expression, pluralism, foreign interference, and the influence of social media. This proposal received support from several center and right-wing parliamentarians, who believe that a discussion on civil liberties should not turn into a trial of a particular channel. The left, for its part, defends the need for effective monitoring of broadcasters' compliance with their obligations.
The ruling concludes the committee's review of this petition, but does not preclude the possibility of a parliamentary debate on the media. It will now be up to the Conference of Presidents of the National Assembly to decide whether the broader debate proposed by Alexandre Portier should be placed on the plenary session's agenda. CNews can therefore continue its operations as normal, as it could have done even if the petition had been examined: only the audiovisual regulator has the power, under the conditions stipulated by law, to withdraw a broadcasting license. Beyond this legal distinction, Tuesday's vote reflects a disagreement on Parliament's role in media regulation. The channel remains subject to the same obligations as its competitors, but the petition explicitly calling for its closure will not proceed further through the parliamentary process.
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