Petition for the Independence and Survival of Agence France-Presse

Full Text of the Petition

Preamble:

The independence and freedom of the press is one of the most precious assets in any democracy.

Agence France-Presse, which is not only the source of most of the news distributed in France but is also one of the world's three biggest global news agencies, is today under threat, as regards not only its independence but even its future existence in its present form.

Under a French law passed in 1957 AFP enjoys a unique status, intended to ensure its structural independence both from the state and from any other "ideological, political or economic grouping".

The company's mission is to "seek out, in France... as well as abroad, the elements of a complete and objective information service"

For several years now, demands for AFP's special status to be brought to an end have become more and more numerous, both inside and outside the company.

One sign of this has been the unprecedented attacks directed at the agency in 2008 by a number of politicians close to the French government.

On the one hand AFP has been described as a "state news agency" that is marked out for privatisation, and on the other it has been criticised for not being ready to publish all the news releases put out by the ruling party.

Today plans are well advanced to end the special status and the independence of a company which is one of a kind, being neither public nor private.

In particular, there are plans to transform, or to abolish altogether, the statutes laid down by parliament in order to turn the agency into a joint-stock company and bring in shareholders.

Such changes, pushed through at a time when France's media landscape is already being severely shaken up, and during a period of worldwide economic instability, are almost certain to mean that AFP's worldwide news services will fall under the sway of governmental or other special interests.

Therefore:

We the undersigned, members of the general public, employees of Agence France-Presse and organisations committed to media pluralism and the right to complete and objective information, express our support for the structural independence of AFP.

For more than half a century its statutes have not prevented AFP from growing into one of the world's three major news agencies, present on five continents and working in six languages.

We reject any change which would have the effect of either turning AFP into a government agency, or handing it over either wholly or partially to private companies of any type and in whatever form.

We demand that the agency retain its specific characteristics, its ability to carry out its mission in the general interest and its structural independence. We therefore oppose any changes which would compromise its statutes, laid down in a law passed by the French parliament in 1957.

Practical Info

Duration and Purpose of the Petition

The SOS-AFP petition was launched on November 27, 2008. It will conclude either when the French government drops its plans to change AFP's statutes, or on the day a reform bill on those statutes is voted on by the French parliament.

On the day the petition is declared closed, the complete list of signatures will be printed out and delivered both to the National Assembly and to the CEO of Agence France-Presse, Emmanuel Hoog.

Two Ways to Sign

You can choose either to sign the petition directly via our site, or on paper, by downloading the document via the link at the bottom of this page and sending it via postal mail to the address indicated.

The advantage of signing via the site is that it is quick and easy in most cases; although it is essential to pay close attention to all the stages of the process. In particular you must be sure to receive, and click on, the confirmation e-mail which is sent to you once you've filled in the form.

By signing the paper form you cut out any direct exchanges over the Internet, and you can also use the printed form to collect signatures from other people. We strongly encourage you to do that whichever method you choose!

It's also worth noting that our petition, which is addressed to both the French parliament and AFP's management, is not aimed only at displaying an impressive list of names on the Web. Which is why people signing our petition - starting with the introduction of this new web site in March 2009 - may choose not to have their names shown on the site.

If you choose that option, your name and details will only be published on the printed lists of signatures that we will hand in, when the time comes, to the real recipients of this petition: the elected representatives of the French people.

Over to you!

Printable version (to send via postal mail):

Printable version (PDF 77 kb, to be sent via postal mail)

Sign the petition online