ABSTRACT
The term ‘journalism’ first entered the French language in 1778. Yet for the next 100 years or so the notion of the ‘journalist’ was rivalled by that of the ‘publicist’, with writers and politicians continuing to act as major sources of copy for newspapers and periodicals (Ferenczi, 2005: 3). This had an impact on the form and style of French journalism during the second half of the nineteenth century, since the ‘importance conferred upon the literary form kept the telegraphic style of Anglo-American news reports away from French newspapers’ (Chalaby, 1996: 311). In emphasising the historical differences in the status and evolution of French journalism from its Anglo-American counterparts during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Chalaby also argues that Anglo-American newspapers contained ‘more news and information than any contemporary French papers’ and had ‘better organized newsgathering services’ (Chalaby, 1996: 305). It was not until the industrialisation of newspaper production towards the end of the 1800s that journalism in France became a recognised source of regular employment with its own rules and professional codes of practice. Yet thanks to its literary and political origins, even after its professionalisation French journalism long continued to be characterised by a fondness for ideas, personal opinions and commentary over ‘facts’ and for editorialising rather than investigation (Ferenczi, 2005: 5).
