Annie Collovald

Political satire on French television

Abstract French television was characterised from the beginning by a commitment to a serious, pedagogical approach. The added dimension of political censorship left little room for satire, especially if aimed against the government. Inspired originally by the chansonniers on radio, satire slowly found its place in programming. The political puppet Bebete Show was the first major audience success. But it was the Guignols de linfo on Canal Plus which saw the triumph of a genuinely televisual form of political satire. The object of derision was no longer the political elites, but the interactions between them and media professionals, parodied in a fake television news bulletin. The success of this programme became so considerable as to initiate a public debate on its influence. This article argues that too often this debate has been underpinned by a simplistic analysis of media power.

Le populisme : de la valorisation à la stigmatisation du populaire

La notion de « populisme » s’est completement transformee au cours du temps. Valorisant hier le populaire, elle le stigmatise aujourd’hui. Les usages actuels du « populisme du FN » en temoignent. S’ils font desormais consensus pour designer dans les groupes populaires les principaux soutiens du parti frontiste, c’est au prix d’une naturalisation des interpretations du succes politique du FN oubliant le role des elites politiques et sociales, au prix egalement d’un changement de perspective sur l’autoritarisme et la signification concrete de l’appel au peuple dans l’histoire sociale de la construction des democraties.