AP

Macron warns against fake news ahead of French election

Jan 11, 2022, 12:34 PM | Updated: 12:48 pm

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media ...

France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)

(Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said people spreading fake news online should be held accountable and possibly brought to justice, an issue that is becoming even more significant ahead of the country’s presidential election in April.

In a speech Tuesday in Paris, Macron warned against the threat to democracy caused by online misinformation and fake news. He suggested new laws should allow internet platforms, influencers and people getting attention online to be held accountable in France, just like journalists are.

“It must be the same for foreign media, which are authorized to circulate news on the French territory,” he added.

A 1881 law established press freedom in France while introducing rules against defamation and hate speech.

Macron also warned that Western democracies are currently not strong enough to face “propaganda actors financed by foreign authoritarian regimes, which do not comply with accountability procedures and journalistic ethics.”

“We must also know how to protect ourselves against foreign interference,” he said.

In 2017, a hack and a massive document leak hit Macron’s presidential election campaign just two days before his victory. The use of bots raised questions about the involvement of groups linked to Russia. Moscow denied any involvement.

Macron’s speech comes after he received a report he commissioned in October over the potential consequences of fake news, including last year’s Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The report released Tuesday made a series of recommendations, from teaching children to question what they see in social media to better protecting elections against foreign interference and sanctioning those who disrupt public order by spreading fake news.

Sociologist Gérald Bronner, head of the committee in charge of the report, said any moves must be balanced with the need to preserve the freedom of expression.

“Our recommendations therefore are not meant to eradicate any news-related problems,” he said. “But (they are meant) to limit the spread of contents that are damaging to democratic life, to deter malicious behavior, to sanction illegal practices.”

Social science researcher Laurent Cordonier, a committee member, said “a small number of fake, misleading news can have serious consequences” and can radicalize certain groups.

“That’s what we saw, for example, with the events at the Capitol in the United States,” he said.

The French government last year created an agency to combat foreign disinformation and fake news.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)
            
              France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)
            
              French President Emmanuel Macron and European Council President Charles Michel arrive to attend a joint news conference after a working lunch to discuss main priorities of the 6-month French presidency of the European Union, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Gonzalo Fuentes/ Pool via AP)
            
              France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)
            
              France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)
            
              France's President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech as he adresses his New Year's wishes to media at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. (Ludovic Marin/ Pool via AP)

AP

Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jers...

Associated Press

3rd Republican presidential debate is set for Nov. 8 in Miami, with the strictest qualifications yet

The third Republican presidential debate will be held in Miami on Nov. 8, a day after several states hold off-year elections.

1 day ago

During the equinox, the Earth’s axis and its orbit line up so that both hemispheres get an equal ...

Associated Press

The fall equinox is here. What does that mean?

The equinox arrives on Saturday, marking the start of the fall season for the Northern Hemisphere. But what does that actually mean?

1 day ago

Ray Epps Ray Epps, an Arizona man who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, ...

Associated Press

Ray Epps, an Arizona man who supported Trump, pleads guilty to Capital riot charge

Ray Epps, the target of a conspiracy theory about the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a misdemeanor charge.

3 days ago

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, to ...

Associated Press

Trump refuses to say in a TV interview how he watched the Jan. 6 attack unfold at the US Capitol

Former President Donald Trump repeatedly declined in an interview aired Sunday to answer questions about whether he watched the Capitol riot.

7 days ago

This frame grab from video, provided by the Mexican government, shows Ovidio Guzman Lopez being det...

Associated Press

Mexico extradites son of ‘El Chapo,’ Ovidio Guzman Lopez to US

The son of notorious cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, Ovidio Guzman Lopez was extradited to the U.S. on Friday.

7 days ago

impeachments in US history...

Associated Press

A look at notable impeachments in US history, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday on during his impeachment trial. Here's a roundup of impeachments in U.S. history.

7 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Sanderson Ford...

Sanderson Ford

Sanderson Ford congratulates D-backs’ on drive to great first half of 2023

The Arizona Diamondbacks just completed a red-hot first half of the major league season, and Sanderson Ford wants to send its congratulations to the ballclub.

...

re:vitalize

When most diets fail, re:vitalize makes a difference that shows

Staying healthy and losing weight are things many people in Arizona are conscious of, especially during the summer.

...

SANDERSON FORD

Thank you to Al McCoy for 51 years as voice of the Phoenix Suns

Sanderson Ford wants to share its thanks to Al McCoy for the impact he made in the Valley for more than a half-decade.

Macron warns against fake news ahead of French election