The information was revealed by the journalist Eve Roger in the program “Cmedia” on France 5. She describes “a meeting in all discretion. We find there Guillaume Tabard (Le Figaro), Dominique Seux (France Inter, Les Echos), Françoise Fressoz (Le Monde), Nathalie Saint-Cricq (France Télévisions)… The objective of the Elysée is that Emmanuel Macron distills the good word, himself gives the elements of language to the ten most influential journalists of the Parisian press, so that the presidential word influences opinion and why not influence”.
The condition for this secret lunch to take place had been set from the start by Emmanuel Macron: journalists might not reveal that they had met him, nor quote him in the media, explains Eve Roger. This will obviously not be enough since the existence of this lunch will be revealed a few days later on a public service television channel.
The controversy was quick to break out in France. Edwy Plenel, the famous director of the investigative site Mediapart, describes “government journalism”. And for good reason, all the editorialists invited to this lunch accepted the invitation and, moreover, took up the elements of language of Emmanuel Macron in the media in the days that followed. Eve Roger cites as an example the formula according to which the French President would refuse the “victory of irresponsibility”, a turn of phrase cleverly used during this lunch by the head of the French executive to discredit the opponents of his pension reform.