The CNews channel has once again been “warned” by the Audiovisual and Digital Communication Regulatory Authority (Arcom). In question, a sequence broadcast in September in the show “L’Heure des pros”, hosted by Pascal Praud. He questioned the link between the resurgence of bedbugs and immigration. The body's decision was notified by letter to majority deputy Christopher Weissberg, who published it on his X account on Monday March 11. The elected representative Renaissance had seized Arcom with several other deputies.
The sequence in question saw the host question his interlocutor, Nicolas Roux de Bézieux, founder of a platform specializing in pest management, on a supposed link between immigration and the resurgence of bedbugs. “There’s a lot of immigration at the moment. Is it people who do not have the same hygienic conditions as those on French soil who bring them, because they are in the street, because perhaps they do not have do they not have access to all the services like the others? Is this related to this? »
This statement immediately sparked a reaction. The “rebellious” MP Aurélien Saintoul deplored comments of “obvious racism” and announced that he would seize the Arcom. Bérangère Couillard, then minister responsible for the fight against discrimination, also denounced these words about X.
In its decision, Arcom considers that “the wording” of Pascal Praud’s question was “likely to encourage discriminatory behavior”. The body explains that it “warned the CNews channel against the renewal of such breaches and asked it to exercise the greatest vigilance”.
In the disciplinary scale, the warning occupies the second level, after the letter reminding us of the regulations and before the formal notice and the sanctions. Contacted by Agence France-Presse, CNews has not yet reacted.
