Geoffroy Lejeune
{{Short description|French journalist (born 1988)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{infobox Person
| name = Geoffroy Lejeune
| image = Versailles - Geoffroy Lejeune - 1.jpg
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|09|03|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Avignon, France
| alma_mater = Aix-Marseille University
École supérieure de journalisme de Paris
| occupation = Editor-in-chief of Le Journal du Dimanche
}}
Geoffroy Lejeune (born 3 September 1988) is a French journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of Valeurs actuelles which is associated with the far right.{{Cite web|title=Intrusion au siège de "Valeurs actuelles" après la représentation de Danièle Obono en esclave|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/affaire-obono-intrusion-au-siege-de-valeurs-actuelles-20200829|access-date=2021-08-25|website=LEFIGARO|date=29 August 2020|language=fr}}{{Cite web|title=Obono : Valeurs Actuelles fictionne son racisme sans l'assumer - Par Loris Guémart {{!}} Arrêt sur images|url=https://www.arretsurimages.net/articles/obono-valeurs-actuelles-fictionne-son-racisme-sans-lassumer|access-date=2021-08-25|website=www.arretsurimages.net}}{{Cite web|date=2013-12-04|title=Valeurs Actuelles, l'attrape-droites|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/medias/valeurs-actuelles-l-attrape-droites_1305047.html|access-date=2021-08-25|website=LExpress.fr|language=fr}}{{cite news | title=Refuser la banalisation du racisme | website=Le Monde.fr | date=1 Sep 2020 | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2020/09/01/refuser-la-banalisation-du-racisme_6050568_3232.html | language=fr}}{{cite book|author=Alistair Cole|title=Emmanuel Macron and the two years that changed France|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXS5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT39|date=26 March 2019|publisher=Manchester University Press|isbn=978-1-5261-4050-0|page=39}}{{cite web|title=Valeurs Actuelles (Groupe Valmonde)|url=http://www.118218.fr/paris-75/journal-presse-et-magazines/16549495-valeurs-actuelles-groupe-valmonde.html|work=118 128|access-date=15 November 2016|language=fr}} In August 2023, he was made editor-in-chief of Le Journal du Dimanche.{{cite news |last1=Henley |first1=Jon |title=‘We fight on’: fears for France’s Sunday paper over editor with far-right ties |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/06/we-fight-on-fears-for-frances-sunday-paper-over-rightwing-editor-geoffroy-lejeune?CMP=GTUS_email |access-date=6 August 2023 |work=The Observer |date=6 August 2023}}
Early life
Geoffroy Lejeune was born on 3 September 1988.{{cite web|title=Lejeune, Geoffroy (1988–....) forme internationale|url=http://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb170074436|website=Bibliothèque nationale de France|accessdate=24 April 2017}} He graduated from the École supérieure de journalisme de Paris in 2011.{{cite news|title=Un jeune journaliste prend la tête de la rédaction de Valeurs actuelles|url=http://lexpansion.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/actualite-economique/un-jeune-journaliste-a-la-tete-de-la-redaction-de-valeurs-actuelles_1797509.html|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=L'Expansion|date=31 May 2016}}
Career
= Early career =
Lejeune began his career in journalism for Le Point.{{cite news|last1=Dejean|first1=Mathieu|title=Qui est Geoffroy Lejeune, le patron de "Valeurs actuelles" ?|url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/2016/10/11/medias/geoffroy-lejeune-dirige-valeurs-actuelles-le-nouveau-visage-de-la-vieille-reaction-11870944/|accessdate=25 April 2017|work=Les Inrocks|date=11 October 2016}}
= Valeurs actuelles =
He became the political editor of Valeurs actuelles in 2015 and its editor-in-chief in 2016. He became the youngest editor-in-chief in France. As editor, he covered the whole spectrum of right-wing politics, from the far right to the centre right. He also hired several young journalists, with a focus on investigative journalism. In April 2017, he derided Le Monde, France's left-wing newspaper of record, for launching Decodex, a fact-checking app, and he suggested Valeurs actuelles should start fact-checking Le Monde.{{cite news|last1=Bastié|first1=Eugénie|title="Qui fact-checkera les fact-checkeurs ?" : le Decodex du Monde suscite des critiques|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2017/02/09/01016-20170209ARTFIG00142-qui-fact-checkera-les-fact-checkeurs-le-decodex-du-monde-suscite-des-critiques.php|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Le Figaro|date=9 February 2017}}
In September 2021, he was fined €1500 after Valeurs actuelles was found guilty of hate speech for publishing a seven page fictional story about La France Insoumise politician Danièle Obono in which the magazine depicted Obono as being captured and enslaved in the 18th century.{{cite web|date=29 September 2021|title=French Court Convicts Magazine Over Racist Portrayal of Black Lawmaker|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/world/europe/france-racism-valeurs-actuelles.html|author-last=Breeden|author-first=Aurélien|access-date=3 July 2023|work=The New York Times}}
In June 2023, he was fired from his position at Valeurs actuelles after a conflict with Iskandar Safa, the owner of the magazine, in which Safa accused Lejeune of being politically too far to the right.{{cite web|date=19 June 2023|title=Goeffroy Lejeune annonce son éviction de la tête de Valeurs actuelles|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/culture-loisirs/goeffroy-lejeune-annonce-son-eviction-de-la-tete-de-valeurs-actuelles-19-06-2023-RKSXXO7EMVFGVIMPRSQTCCQUUQ.php|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=3 July 2023|work=Le Parisien}} Over the course of his tenure as editor-in-chief, the number of subscribers to the magazine declined by 10% and the number of visitors to its website decline by half.
= Le Journal du Dimanche =
In 2023, media group Vivendi, mainly owned by billionaire Vincent Bolloré, announced that it would be acquiring the weekly newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche and appointing Lejeune as its new editor-in-chief. The appointment proved controversial, with over 400 prominent cultural and political figures signing an open letter opposing his appointment and saying that "the first time since the Liberation of France, a large national media will be run by a far-right personality."{{cite web|date=30 June 2023|title=A French Newsroom on Strike After Appointment of ‘Far-Right’ Editor|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/30/business/jdd-.html|author-last=Alderman|author-first=Liz|access-date=3 July 2023|work=The New York Times}} Human rights group Reporters Without Borders stated that the appointment would "threaten editorial independence in journalism."{{cite web|date=27 June 2023|title=Geoffroy Lejeune à la tête du "JDD" : Vincent Bolloré met "en danger l'indépendance éditoriale du journalisme", estime Reporters sans frontières|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/economie/medias/geoffroy-lejeune-a-la-tete-du-jdd-vincent-bollore-met-en-danger-l-independance-editoriale-du-journalisme-estime-reporters-sans-frontieres_5914748.html|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=3 July 2023|work=Franceinfo}} In response to Lejeune's appointment, the staff of Le Journal du Dimanche launched a strike, leading to the newspaper missing publication two consecutive weeks for the first time in its history.{{cite web|date=1 July 2023|title=Au « Journal du dimanche », la grève reconduite jusqu’à mardi matin|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2023/07/01/au-journal-du-dimanche-la-greve-reconduite-jusqu-a-mardi-matin_6180124_3236.html|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=3 July 2023|work=Le Monde}}
= Books =
Lejeune is the author of a political novel (Une élection ordinaire), published in 2015, in which conservative essayist Éric Zemmour is elected as the President of France.{{cite news|last1=Devecchio|first1=Alexandre|title=Geoffroy Lejeune : "Éric Zemmour et Michel Onfray séduisent parce qu'ils sont libres"|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/culture/2015/10/03/31006-20151003ARTFIG00064-geoffroy-lejeune-eric-zemmour-et-michel-onfray-seduisent-parce-qu-ils-sont-libres.php|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=Le Figaro|date=3 October 2015}}{{cite news|title="Zemmour président", un scénario qui ne passe pas|url=http://www.20minutes.fr/television/1696927-20150928-zemmour-president-scenario-passe|accessdate=26 April 2017|work=20 Minutes|date=28 September 2015}}
Political positions
Lejeune endorsed Éric Zemmour in the 2022 French presidential election. Politico has described him as a "proud friend" of far-right politician Marion Maréchal.{{cite web|date=29 June 2023|title=‘French Murdoch’ sparks fears of far-right lurch at iconic paper|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/french-media-tycoon-sparks-outrage-after-far-right-top-editor-appointment/|author-last=Liali|author-first=Giorgio|access-date=3 July 2023|work=Politico}} He has been described by France24 as "the pen and sword of the far-right"{{cite web|date=23 June 2023|title=Geoffroy Lejeune, plume et épée de l'extrême droite|url=https://www.france24.com/fr/info-en-continu/20230623-geoffroy-lejeune-plume-et-%C3%A9p%C3%A9e-de-l-extr%C3%AAme-droite|author-last=|author-first=|access-date=3 July 2023|work=France24}} and by Le Monde as a "reactionary crusader."{{cite web|date=24 June 2023|title=Geoffroy Lejeune, une croisade réactionnaire jusqu’au « Journal du dimanche »|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/actualite-medias/article/2023/06/24/geoffroy-lejeune-une-croisade-reactionnaire-jusqu-au-journal-du-dimanche_6179017_3236.html|author-last=Trippenbach |author-first=Ivanne|access-date=3 July 2023|work=Le Monde}}
Works
- {{cite book|last1=Lejeune|first1=Geoffroy|title=Une élection ordinaire|date=2015|publisher=Éditions Ring|location=Paris|isbn=9791091447355|oclc=930931743}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:French male journalists
Category:21st-century French journalists
Category:French male novelists
Category:21st-century French novelists
Category:21st-century French male writers
Category:École supérieure de journalisme de Paris alumni
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