Geoffroy Lejeune

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}}

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}}

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.

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}}

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}}

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}}

• {{cite book|last1=Lejeune|first1=Geoffroy|title=Une élection ordinaire|date=2015|publisher=Éditions Ring|location=Paris|isbn=9791091447355|oclc=930931743}}

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Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

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

Category:Writers from Avignon

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