How a Scrappy French Newspaper Is Roiling the Election Campaign

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Erin Larson

       Le Canard Enchaîné - a satirical, staff-owned publication - has been running print for nearly a century but is still considered 'scrappy' due to its humorously underhanded way of publicizing scandalous information about public figures. The WSJ article quotes Sorbonne Nouvelle University media historian, Laurent Martin: “They’re more at ease than others in criticizing the powerful political and economic forces," she said of the Le Canard.This is precisely how their audience has expanded by well over 100,000 since they began covering the election campaign, and senior politicians have taken to scanning the papers for gossip as soon as they can snag a copy. 


       The Le Canard's big-hitting news regarded front-running presidential candidate, François Fillon, and exposed him for transferring thousands of dollars in public funds to his wife and children. It also reported that second runner Marine Le Pen improperly used regional-government funds to help finance her 2012 presidential bid.

       By releasing information about big name front runners in a national presidential campaign, the Le Canard drew in a much larger audience than it had in over a century, and the way it touched upon the news in an aggressive but honest manner appealed to readers searching for truth.  


https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-a-scrappy-french-newspaper-is-roiling-the-election-campaign-1492162215