Fourty years ago, in May 1981, with François Mitterrand's election, some people were letting themselves dream about a better life while others were predicting the coming of soviet tanks upon the Champs-Élysées. If we gladly remember the turning point of austerity in 83, there were also the wage rises, the fifth week of paid leave, the abolition of death penalty, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, or the advent of independent radio stations. Rare archives and accounts by those who were at the heart of this story give an overview of it and shed light on lesser-known aspects.
In 1932, the writer Paul Nizan published "The New Watchdogs" to denounce the philosophers and writers of his time who, sheltering behind intellectual neutrality, imposed themselves as true watchdogs of the established order. Today the watchdogs are journalists, editors, and media experts who've openly become market evangelists and guardians of the social order. In a sardonic manner, "The New Watchdogs" denounces this press that, claiming to be independent, objective and pluralist, makes out it is a democratic force of opposition. With forcefulness and precision, the film puts its finger on the increasing danger of information produced by the major industrial groups of the Paris Stock Exchange and perverted into merchandise.
Michèle Cotta (born 15 June 1937) is a French political journalist. Her father was the mayor of Nice. She started her career as a journalist for Combat. She moved on to interviewing politicians for L'Express, under the tutelage of Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber and Françoise Giroud. Between 1981 and 1986, then-President François Mitterrand appointed her as Head of Radio France, followed by the Haute Autorité, now known as the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel. She also served as news director for TF1 and program director for France 2. She now teaches at Sciences Po. She is also an editor for the Nouvel économiste and Direct Soir. In 1983, she became the first woman to join the think tank Le Siècle. Source: Article "Michèle Cotta" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.
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