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Pascal Praud

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Pascal Praud
Born (1964-09-09) 9 September 1964 (age 60)
Nantes, France
OccupationJournalist L'heure des pros
Employer(s)CNews
Europe 1
Known forFootball

Pascal Praud (born 9 September 1964) is a French far-right sports journalist, radio columnist, radio host, television presenter and producer.[1]

After 20 years with TF1, especially alongside Thierry Roland on Téléfoot, he became general manager in charge of communication and marketing of FC Nantes in 2008 for two years.[2] On radio, since 2010, he has hosted several sports broadcasts on RTL, also writing a column for the station's morning show from 2014 to 2018. On television, since 2017, he has produced and hosted several shows on CNews dealing with football as well as current affairs and politics.

In the French media, Pascal Praud participates in the normalisation of the ideas of the French far-right, notably those of Éric Zemmour, and in the archconservative political positions held by Vincent Bolloré. He has generated controversy on multiple occasions for positions he espoused during his broadcasts. These include denying the existence of climate change[3] and tying the spread of bedbugs to immigration.[4] He has also been accused of misogyny towards many of his female colleagues.[5][6][7]

Radio

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In 1988–2012 he commented on On refait le match, a broadcast by Eugène Saccomano on RTL.[8] In 1988–2008 he hosted Tirs au but on RTL. In 2010–2018 he co-hosted Multiplex RTL-L'Équipe et du Grand match de Ligue 1 on RTL, alongside Christian Ollivier. In 2012–2018 he hosted On refait le match on RTL. In 2014–2018 he was an editorialist on Le Praud de l'Info in Yves Calvi's daily morning show, as well as L'Actualité de la semaine écoulée on Saturdays on RTL. From 2018 to 2023 he has hosted Les auditeurs ont la parole on RTL.[9]

In July 2023, Praud formalized his departure from RTL and his transfer to Europe 1. Since September 2023 he has hosted the show Pascal Praud et vous broadcast on Europe 1 at midday.

Political positioning and controversies

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Far-right in the media

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Pascal Praud is considered a figure of the far-right in the media,[10][11][12][13] alongside personalities like Éric Zemmour.[14] He contributed to the mainstreaming of far-right theses on French television.[15][16][17][18] Alexis Lévrier supports that his program involves promoting the ideas of Éric Zemmour.[19] Marlène Laruelle, a professor at George Washington University, sees his show as one of the three flagship programs on the CNEWS channel in terms of far-right.[20]

For example, during the 2022 French presidential election, Praud supported Zemmour by stating, among other things, that "the other candidates don't interest anyone"[21] or, after comments from Emmanuel Macron, "he (Zemmour) is better than the others. (...) His statement is the most accurate, the most intelligent".[22] Praud also denied the existence of the far right in France.[22] He plays a central role in the ultra-conservative media policy led by Vincent Bolloré.[21] Lucie Guimier categorized him within the "anti-system and reactionary nebula" in an article published by the academic journal Hérodote.[23]

In 2021, Pascal Praud told the magazines Le Point and Valeurs actuelles: "I am very conservative regarding culture, history, authority, and security. I no longer recognize the France in which I grew up because the transmission did not happen. I am also very progressive on societal issues, such as same-sex marriage, assisted reproduction, surrogacy. And, economically, I am liberal".[24][25] In the same context, Benoît Hamon refused to meet with him and debate on his show that year.[26] According to Philippe Ridet, a journalist at Le Monde, Pascal Praud is a "master of invective"; "Macho, populist, right-wing, 'pub owner' are now words associated with his name".[27] In June 2018, Les Inrockuptibles described the commentator as an "uninhibited right-winger".[28] According to Middle East Eye, he is populist and "openly Islamophobic".[29]

In 2022, on CNews, Pascal Praud acknowledged the channel's proximity to the ideas of Éric Zemmour.[30]

In 2023, after the publication of a parody sketch of Pascal Praud's show by the French comedian Malik Bentalha, which was viewed 33 million times in a month,[31] he reacted by stating, "They portray me as a reactionary when I'm more of an anarchist. I value freedom above all".[31]

During the 2024 French legislative elections, Praud supported a "union of the right" between The Republicans (LR) and the National Rally (RN).[32] During the same campaign, he clearly favored far-right candidates by attacking and demonizing the New Popular Front (NFP).[33]

Far-right rhetoric

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According to Renaud Maes, a Belgian sociologist and researcher specializing in the far-right,[34] Pascal Praud and Eric Zemmour employ the same rhetorical techniques as right-wing populists, the extreme right, and neo-fascists. He writes in an academic article dedicated to the issue of "cancel culture":[35]

"Pascal Praud, Éric Zemmour, etc., do not hesitate to claim that they are prevented from speaking publicly. The mention of a supposed threat to one's public and media speech, even while expressing oneself publicly in a media without interruption or real opposition, is a rhetorical stratagem widely used by right-wing populists, the extreme right, and neo-fascists worldwide. This allows them to spread the conspiratorial idea of an 'internal threat' aiming to 'destabilize society.'"

The French researcher Valérie Robert, an associate professor at Sorbonne-Nouvelle University (Paris III) and director of the Franco-German journalism master's program at the same university,[36] compared the media strategies of CNews and Fox News, using Pascal Praud as an example.[37] She suggested that French media and public discourse leaned "strongly" towards the far-right as a result.[37] This comparison with Fox News was also made by the Financial Times, noting that Pascal Praud often chooses "topics favored by the far right, such as anti-police protests, the veil worn by some Muslim women, and skepticism towards climate change".[38] The New York Times made a similar analysis,[39] which was then echoed and confirmed by the researcher Robert E. Gutsche. Alan Ouakrat, an associate professor at Sorbonne-Nouvelle University,[40] stated, in connection with the issue of hate speech in the French public space, that 'L'Heure des Pros', i.e Praud's program, is "the starting point and anchor of hate speech and argumentative pieces compiled by users to assert their arguments and reinforce the certainty of the validity of their opinions".[41] Semioticians Jean-Maxence Granier and Éric Bertin argued that Pascal Praud's show establishes the rhetorical technique of the "false debate", describing it as follows:[42]

"This false debate relies on a rhetorical artifice that transforms a point of view into an obvious truth, under the guise of 'speaking the truth,' making it the voice of the French people and common sense. In this discursive power move, the primacy of arguments and the recognition of actors are evacuated."

Jean-Maxence Granier dedicated an additional article to the subject, where he stated:[43]

"Conservative, Catholic, traditionalist ideas, deeply rooted on the right, supported by an identity and civilizational populism, are championed by individuals such as Éric Zemmour, Pascal Praud, or Sonia Mabrouk. These ideas are primarily framed within a perspective of decline, nationalism, making Islam the central problem in France, associated with immigration issues and law enforcement, while identifying 'wokeism' as the other major danger that needs to be combated."

Filmography

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He played himself in a short appearance in the film Trois Zéros by Fabien Onteniente (2002).

References

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  1. ^ "Programme TV – L'heure des pros présenté par Pascal Praud". tvmag.lefigaro.fr. Archived from the original on 17 January 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  2. ^ "Pascal Praud quitte TF1 pour le FC Nantes". Télérama.fr. 7 December 2007. Archived from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  3. ^ à 21h37, Par Carine DidierLe 8 mai 2019 (8 May 2019). "Clash entre Pascal Praud et Claire Nouvian : décryptage d'une polémique". leparisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ "Pascal Praud ose le lien entre punaises de lit et immigration, ce député saisit l'Arcom". Le HuffPost (in French). 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Il est comme ça… Pascal Praud". Le Monde.fr (in French). 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  6. ^ ""Pas courageux", "misogyne" : Une ex-débatteuse de "L'heure des pros" dézingue Pascal Praud". ozap.com (in French). 10 October 2019. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Gabrielle Siry-Houari boycotte CNews et l'émission de Pascal Praud y est pour beaucoup". Le HuffPost (in French). 7 October 2021. Archived from the original on 28 October 2023. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Pascal Praud". RTL.fr. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Les auditeurs ont la parole : replays, vidéos et podcasts avec Pascal Praud sur RTL". RTL.fr. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  10. ^ "Comment l'extrême droite a infiltré les médias". Le Monde.fr (in French). 8 July 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Lou Philly: 40-day strike against the radical right – International Journalists". Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  12. ^ Rabat, Basma El Atti ــ (2023). "France's bed bugs invade a Moroccan port". Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  13. ^ Samuel, Henry (4 October 2023). "French panic as bedbug invasion spreads". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 7 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Face à la concurrence, CNews fait le pari d'une parole décomplexée". Le Monde.fr (in French). 11 September 2020. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  15. ^ "CNews banalise l'extrême droite, comme Fox News l'a fait pour Donald Trump". Le Monde.fr (in French). 18 May 2021. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  16. ^ "Invasion du Capitole, rave party, inceste : sur CNews, le trumpisme en marche". www.telerama.fr (in French). 8 January 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Sur CNews, Pascal Praud salue le "courage" de Sonia Mabrouk, présentatrice de CNews". www.telerama.fr (in French). 20 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  18. ^ "CNews, première chaîne d'intox de France… avec le soutien de l'Élysée". www.telerama.fr (in French). 10 May 2021. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Comment les médias ultra-conservateurs arbitrent le match Le Pen/Zemmour - ENQUÊTE". Le HuffPost (in French). 20 November 2021. Archived from the original on 21 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  20. ^ "When the military joins the far right: Macron's challenges ahead of the 2022 election". The Institute for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies (IERES). Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Comment Vincent Bolloré mobilise son empire médiatique pour peser sur la présidentielle". Le Monde.fr (in French). 16 November 2021. Archived from the original on 19 January 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Une semaine à regarder uniquement CNews : mépris de la gauche, critique contre l'exécutif, sympathie pour Eric Zemmour". Le Monde.fr (in French). 10 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  23. ^ Guimier, Lucie (9 December 2021). "Les résistances françaises aux vaccinations : continuité et ruptures à la lumière de la pandémie de Covid-19". Hérodote. 183 (4): 227–250. doi:10.3917/her.183.0227. ISSN 0338-487X. S2CID 245086581. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  24. ^ "Pascal Praud ne reconnaît plus la France dans laquelle il a grandi". Le Point (in French). 26 June 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  25. ^ 6medias2 (27 June 2021). ""Je suis hyperconservateur" : Pascal Praud ne "reconnaît plus la France" dans laquelle il a "grandi"". Valeurs actuelles (in French). Archived from the original on 3 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  26. ^ agence, avec (25 May 2021). "Benoît Hamon refuse d'aller sur " CNews " : " On ne débat pas avec Pascal Praud "". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 19 July 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  27. ^ "Il est comme ça… Pascal Praud". Le Monde.fr (in French). 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 4 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  28. ^ "Comment CNews est devenu le pendant français de Fox News | Les Inrocks" (in French). Archived from the original on 2 December 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  29. ^ "CNEWS, un média d'opinion au service de l'extrême droite française". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Archived from the original on 19 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  30. ^ "Cnews : Pascal Praud reconnaît en direct la proximité de la chaîne avec les idées d'Éric Zemmour". midilibre.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 13 February 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  31. ^ a b à 15h34, Par Carine Didier et Benoît Daragon Le 25 novembre 2023 (25 November 2023). "Pascal Praud répond aux polémiques : " On me fait passer pour un réac alors que je suis plutôt anar "". leparisien.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Block, Pauline (14 June 2024). "SUR CNEWS, PASCAL PRAUD MILITE AVEC FERVEUR POUR "L'UNION DES DROITES"". Arrêt sur Images.
  33. ^ "Chez Pascal Praud, diabolisation de la gauche et soutien explicite à l'extrême droite qui « n'existe plus en France »". Le Nouvel Obs (in French). 24 June 2024. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  34. ^ "Renaud Maes - Maison des Sciences Humaines (MSH-ULB)". msh.ulb.ac.be (in French). Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  35. ^ Maes, Renaud (27 May 2021). "La " cancel culture " à l'assaut du débat public". La Revue Nouvelle. 4 (4): 2–8. doi:10.3917/rn.214.0002. ISSN 0035-3809. S2CID 236366529. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  36. ^ "Valérie Robert : podcasts et actualités". Radio France (in French). Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  37. ^ a b Robert, Valérie (2021). "France's very own Murdoch Money, media, and campaigning". Journalistik. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  38. ^ "Vincent Bolloré, Éric Zemmour and the rise of 'France's Fox News'". www.ft.com. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  39. ^ Stangler, Cole (2 June 2021). "Opinion | France Is Becoming More Like America. It's Terrible". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 1 December 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  40. ^ "CV Home - Archive ouverte HAL". cv.hal.science. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  41. ^ Ouakrat, Alain (31 October 2023). "Des discours de haine au cœur du débat public: La contribution des médias à la circulation des polémiques de Valeurs actuelles". Réseaux. 241 (5): 123–161. doi:10.3917/res.241.0123. ISSN 0751-7971. S2CID 265106923. Archived from the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  42. ^ Bertin, Éric; Granier, Jean-Maxence (14 September 2022). "L'âge de la polémique: Métamorphoses de l'espace du débat". Esprit. Septembre (9): 53–62. doi:10.3917/espri.2209.0053. ISSN 0014-0759. S2CID 252523423. Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  43. ^ La bollorisation des médias, Esprit Presse, Jean Maxence Granier, novembre 2021 : https://esprit.presse.fr/actualites/jean-maxence-granier/la-bollorisation-des-medias-43727 Archived 28 March 2023 at the Wayback Machine
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