PARIS—Christine Ockrent, a well-known French journalist and wife of former French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner, has come under accusations of organizing a spy network inside AEF (Audiovisuel extérieur de la France), a government-backed media consortium that includes Radio France International (RFI) radio, France 24 television, and TV5 Monde television, and is intended by the French government to become a French CNN.
Things started in the beginning of October when French investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchainé published confidential information on financial difficulties at AEF. The CEO of the consortium, Alain de Pouzilhac, then ordered an internal investigation of possible hacking into the AEF information system.
It quickly became apparent that all confidential data at AEF—millions of files—had been illegally copied by one of AEF’s information service providers.
Things got bad for Ockrent, the No. 2 executive of AEF, when it was revealed that the service provider was a personal friend of hers and Bernard Kouchner.
Things got worse when the service provider carefully deleted, using a special program, all the data he had obtained, reinforcing suspicion of organized fraud—information first revealed by the Marianne newspaper in France.
This was not the end of the story: On Nov. 30, Le Point newspaper published an article titled “The spying affair that troubles Christine Ockrent,” where it revealed that Ockrent’s closest collaborator and personal friend had gathered 2.5 million files from AEF on her computer, including text messages from AEF employees and internal e-mails.
This was hardly convincing to journalists at AEF media branches and for their management board, however. Both publicly expressed their distrust of Ockrent.
On Dec. 13, nearly 15 top executives of France 24 television announced they would not participate in any meetings organized or joined by Ockrent. And on Dec. 14, one-third of the 200 journalists of the TV station expressed their distrust in a joint letter published in Le Monde newspaper.
If the accusations against Ockrent prove true, it is not clear what exact benefit the spy system was supposed to offer to her. One hypothesis circulating in French media is that Ockrent could have been preparing a campaign against Pouzilhac, No. 1 on the AEF executive board. The two reportedly do not get along.
It is also not clear at this stage whether Ockrent will be forced to resign from AEF, as the decision will be made by AEF’s main shareholder, namely the French government.
Things started in the beginning of October when French investigative newspaper Le Canard Enchainé published confidential information on financial difficulties at AEF. The CEO of the consortium, Alain de Pouzilhac, then ordered an internal investigation of possible hacking into the AEF information system.
It quickly became apparent that all confidential data at AEF—millions of files—had been illegally copied by one of AEF’s information service providers.
Things got bad for Ockrent, the No. 2 executive of AEF, when it was revealed that the service provider was a personal friend of hers and Bernard Kouchner.
Things got worse when the service provider carefully deleted, using a special program, all the data he had obtained, reinforcing suspicion of organized fraud—information first revealed by the Marianne newspaper in France.
This was not the end of the story: On Nov. 30, Le Point newspaper published an article titled “The spying affair that troubles Christine Ockrent,” where it revealed that Ockrent’s closest collaborator and personal friend had gathered 2.5 million files from AEF on her computer, including text messages from AEF employees and internal e-mails.
Growing Distrust
Ockrent vehemently denied any link to the fraud, saying that regardless, she had rightful access to all the data mentioned because of her position, and that there would be no use for her to organize such spying.This was hardly convincing to journalists at AEF media branches and for their management board, however. Both publicly expressed their distrust of Ockrent.
On Dec. 13, nearly 15 top executives of France 24 television announced they would not participate in any meetings organized or joined by Ockrent. And on Dec. 14, one-third of the 200 journalists of the TV station expressed their distrust in a joint letter published in Le Monde newspaper.
If the accusations against Ockrent prove true, it is not clear what exact benefit the spy system was supposed to offer to her. One hypothesis circulating in French media is that Ockrent could have been preparing a campaign against Pouzilhac, No. 1 on the AEF executive board. The two reportedly do not get along.
It is also not clear at this stage whether Ockrent will be forced to resign from AEF, as the decision will be made by AEF’s main shareholder, namely the French government.
