Desperate Emmanuel Macron attacks 'narcissistic’ French media

Emmanuel Macron has seen his approval ratings slump
Instead of first taking questions from French
journalists after his address to world leaders at the UN
General Assembly this week, the young leader - whose
approval ratings have plummeted since his election in
May - chose to grant an interview to CNN
International.
And when quizzed by a French reporter why he had
spoken with the American press first, the 39-year-old
replied by accusing the French media of being more
interested in “communication” than “content”.
He went on to attack his nation’s press for the
constant criticism levelled at him for largely refusing
to speak one-on-one with French journalists since his
landslide election victory.
Defending his decision to be interviewed by CNN,
beleaguered Mr Macron said: “I am at the United
Nations and a journalist offered to do an interview on
my diplomatic policy, and I did it.
The French President has faced criticism from the
press since his election in May
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“Given
the
seriousness of the issues, let’s talk about the
challenges facing the planet and stop talking in such a
circular way about communication.
“When I see the time spent in the past four months
commenting only on my silences and my sayings, I
think that it is a totally narcissistic system.”
The president’s feud with France's media comes as
his approval ratings have seen a record slump, with an
August poll showing 57 per cent of the French public
were “dissatisfied” with his performance so far.
In the same poll, just 40 per cent said they were
satisfied with Macron - making him even more
unpopular than his predecessor Francois Hollande.
In an interview following his UN address, Macron
slated the French media as "totally narcissistic"
This outburst against his country’s media is the latest
in a series of attacks by the French centrist leader.
Earlier this month he accused journalists of being “too
interested in themselves” while visiting a school in
eastern France.
Mr Macron said the TV reporters who had travelled
with him to cover the event should be talking about
the 12 million students returning to school after the
summer break, not asking about him.
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But BFM TV, France’s most-watched rolling news
channel, hit back by saying the president’s comments
“appeared contradictory given the lengths [he] goes to
manage his image since the start of his mandate.”
In June, he tried to justify his lack of contact with
French journalists by arguing his “complex thought
process” did not lend itself well to one-on-one
interviews.
However, despite his running battle with the media,
Macron praised freedom of speech in his speech at
the UN this week.
Addressing world leaders, he said: “It’s the UN’s job to
protect the freedom of those who think, reflect, speak
out, and particularly the freedom of the press. That’s
why I’m calling for a special representative of the
secretary general for the protection of journalists in
the world.”

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