France's Macron: Education is vital in tackling fake news

Emmanuel Macron was criticized for the lack of meetings he has held with the press during his new year speech. (Credit: AP)

Speaking at the Elysee Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron has given a traditional new year speech to journalists.

It is customary for the French president to speak to many different sectors in the workforce with a formal address at the start of the new year and on 15 January it was the turn of the media to hear his thoughts about the press.

Freedom of the press

Before the president began his remarks, there was an introduction from a member of the media, and he criticized the French leader for not making himself available for regular questioning by the press and rarely holding open news conferences.

He pushed the president over comments last year that "the French press isn't looking for truth anymore," asked about journalists investigating French arms sales to Saudi Arabia and also the treatment of journalists in protests.

Mr Macron then began a lengthy address, starting off by looking at the freedom of the press in different parts of the world.

He noted that 49 journalists were killed in 2019 and many more arrested, saying he stands by the media when they have to operate in challenging conditions.

"Our core values are being attacked. Our role is to make France's voices heard when that happened," he said.

Fake news

The French president went on to discuss the fight against fake news, "deepfakes" and the spread of misinformation, especially on social media platforms.

"Education is essential in this fight. We need to know how to respond to challenge, and to know how to define if a document is true or not, all together," he argued.

He praised the media for the work they do, especially in trying to sort through the large dumps of disinformation online, saying: "I consider your role to be as essential as ever."

Macron spoke passionately when speaking about the fight against fake news. (Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Economic challenges for the press

In the last part of his address, the president spoke about the business models in the media sector and how the government could help achieve sustainable formats for the press.

"We must not be closed to foreign investments into our national press," he outlined.

In France, there are restrictions on how much of a certain media entity may be owned by a non-EU entity and the president's remarks do open the door to a possible relaxation of those rules in the future - although he did also remark that: "We must protect [the press's] sovereignty as well as its freedom."