It is a sequence of We are live which caused a stir this Saturday, February 5. The program hosted by Laurent Ruquier and Léa Salamé counted among its guests Gérard Darmon , currently at the Théâtre des Nouveaux for the play Une Situation Délicate , and the journalist Edwy Plenel , who came to promote the documentary Media Crash - which killed public debate ? . The actor offered himself a very virulent tirade against the director of the publication of Mediapart, describing him as the “whipping father of politics”.
« Edwy Plenel est un homme qui tremble quand il parle, c’est quelque chose d’assez troublant. J’ai l’impression d’entendre ce discours depuis quatre siècles (…) Vous savez tout et rien d’autre ! »
— On Est En Direct (@OnEstEnDirectF2) February 6, 2022
Gérard Darmon interpelle @edwyplenel dans #OEED ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/d6T22LdVgX
“Edwy Plenel is a man who trembles when he speaks, it's already something quite disturbing. I have the impression of hearing this discourse for four centuries, this impression of pushing open doors. I'm a little disappointed because, at first, when Mediapart was founded, it was rather encouraging. […] You know everything and nothing else. The epitome of what you said tonight is really not much. What are you alerting us to? Speeches by Zemmour , the far right, dangers to democracy, the power of the rich over the media... Everyone knows all that. I don't find that your methods are very effective, there is something a little Tartuffe in your speech that bothers me, ”said the actor.
Opposite, Léa Salamé was amused by the situation and encouraged the journalist to respond with the same fervor. “The load is heavy, answer”. Edwy Plenel complied. “It is a caricature and a prejudice. We are used to people labeling us and seeing us as barking dogs, inquisitors and persecutors. Tell me about information published 15 years ago by Mediapart which was not of public interest and which was not true. Laurent Ruquier then reacted and joked about the importance of the revelation of Jean-Michel Blanquer 's vacation in Ibiza.
This lunar and confused sequence has aroused many reactions on social networks. The name of Gérard Darmon was notably found among the trends of Twitter. Many Internet users accuse the actor of having sued the co-founder of Mediapart and of questioning the very function of the journalist, that is to seek and verify information. Many journalists were offended by Gérard Darmon's statements. “It's not Edwy Plenel who needs to be defended (I think he will recover from Gérard Darmon's salvo) it's simply journalism. Investigating and establishing the facts is our job. At the risk of displeasing, ”said Julien Pain , journalist for Franceinfo. Damien Dolé, journalist for Liberation, expressed regret for the lack of clarity of Gérard Darmon in his remarks. “I listened to everything and I don't even understand what Darmon reproaches Plenel”. The actor was nevertheless able to count on the support of certain public figures, such as the essayist Raphaël Enthoven who congratulated him on having been "the fool who believed he had the right to attack Edwy Plenel".
This Monday, February 7, in L'Heure des Pros on CNews, Gérard Darmon was able to clarify his thoughts and reload the journalistic methods of Mediapart and Edwy Plenel. “It's a bit like Eric Zemmour's speech: there are ideas and then suddenly we don't agree with the solutions. In 2022, we still have the right to say that we do not agree with these methods of investigation. I don't like the way Mediapart is digging through the trash,” he commented. The divorce seems to have been consummated between Gérard Darmon and Edwy Plenel.