Franceinfo made a particularly embarrassing blunder on Wednesday when announcing the death of François Patriat . While the channel was reporting the death of the Côte-d'Or senator, who died at 83 after several weeks in the hospital, it wasn't his face that appeared on screen, but that of another senator: Hervé Marseille, president of the Centrist Union group in the Senate. The error occurred live during the 14 p.m. news broadcast. For nearly 20 seconds, viewers saw Hervé Marseille on screen while the banner displayed by Franceinfo read: "Former minister François Patriat has died at 83."
Hervé Marseille wrongly presented as François Patriat
At 14:16 PM, Franceinfo returned to the topic of François Patriat's death. The journalist discussed the former minister and senator's career, but the images shown did not correspond to the man whose death he was announcing. Hervé Marseille, senator for Hauts-de-Seine and president of the Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), appeared on screen. The on-screen banner, however, left no ambiguity about the subject: Franceinfo clearly announced the death of François Patriat. The confusion was all the more apparent as Hervé Marseille's image remained on screen for several seconds without the error being immediately corrected on air. The newscast then continued as normal.
François Patriat died at the age of 83 after a serious cycling accident
François Patriat died on Wednesday, August 19, at the age of 83 at the University Hospital of Dijon. The senator from Côte-d'Or had been hospitalized there since a serious cycling accident on July 17. A passionate cyclist, the elected official was found unconscious during a bike ride before being rushed to the hospital. He remained hospitalized until his death. Born on March 21, 1943, in Semur-en-Auxois, Côte-d'Or, François Patriat had nearly half a century of political life behind him. Trained as a veterinarian, he joined the Socialist Party in the 1970s before becoming a general councillor in 1976 and then a member of parliament in 1981. He was also mayor of Chailly-sur-Armançon, president of the regional council of Burgundy, secretary of state in charge of SMEs, Trade and Crafts, then minister of Agriculture and Fisheries under Lionel Jospin.
One of Emmanuel Macron's earliest supporters
Elected senator for Côte-d'Or in 2008, François Patriat gradually distanced himself from the Socialist Party before becoming one of the first political figures to support Emmanuel Macron . After the 2017 presidential election, he took the helm of the parliamentary group in the Senate that brought together members of the presidential majority, which became the Rally of Democrats, Progressives and Independents group. He was still its president at the time of his death. However, François Patriat had announced a few weeks earlier that he would not seek re-election in the September 2026 senatorial elections.
A particularly embarrassing mistake when announcing a death
Franceinfo's error took on a particular dimension because it involved announcing the death of a political figure while showing a very much alive political leader on screen. Hervé Marseille, born in 1954, has been a senator for Hauts-de-Seine since 2017 and chairs the Centrist Union group in the Luxembourg Palace (the Senate). He is also president of the UDI (Union of Democrats and Independents). Franceinfo finally apologized on air that evening after broadcasting these erroneous images. This correction was essential after a blunder that led the public broadcaster to illustrate the death of François Patriat with the face of Hervé Marseille for nearly 20 seconds.
