The RTBF snake bites its own tail…

The public service belongs to us

When it comes to the media, one can hit harder at the sponsored media, including the RTBF. Entirely paid for by the taxpayer. On top of that, a sales house, RMB, almost 90% owned by the RTBF, which has a net turnover of more than 100 million with 85 people working there. That is already clearly a case of unfair competition with the private sector. But apparently nobody cares. In addition to the in-house media, the management of advertising for private entities such as LN24, BeTv, Nrj, … is added to the portfolio. Another aberration.

I'll bypass the sacrosanct debate on the collusion of our bigwigs' messages without any reflection, perspective, research, questioning,… We have all come to the firm conviction that it is an obvious fact, accomplished daily. The RTBF works for those in power.

The big house censors itself

In one week, two comedy columnists were censored on the “caring” social networks after their appearances on air. On the one hand PE, a comedian who gets a lot of laughs out of the news about the Codeco, for example. This young man has 231,000 followers on his Facebook page. He has a bigger audience on social networks than the TiPik outlet where he works. A rather funny column about Elio di Rupo and above all his mind-boggling speeches at the Fêtes de Wallonie. He mocked his actions, not his looks. While doing a rather successful impression of the man from Mons.

Quebec comedian Dan Gagnon was also censored, for a scathing column about his own employer concerning the holding of the World Cup in Qatar and its broadcasting by the public service. Bim, not to say BAM!, he too was silenced after the fact. Even though his column had been praised in the studio by the show's producer. He has since been fired.

On the other hand, the virulent column by the excellent Thomas Gunzig, which gave Elio, the prince of Wallonia, a real dressing-down, drew no comment at all. One may wonder whether being a columnist on La Première is not more comfortable and protected than on TiPik. Intellectual snobbery no doubt wins out over political touchiness. Bodyguard Jean-Paul Philippot knows that by attacking Gunzig, he would be taking on a heavyweight.

The baron of the public service: Jean-Paul Philippot

In the same week as the double media guillotining of the columnists, our friend Philippot usurpingly overrode a right to strike that is nonetheless democratic; he recently lost a lawsuit against a whistleblower, Christine Strumont, who had revealed his outrageous earnings. He receives more emoluments than the President of the United States. He was perfectly aware of it. He just gave a slight: “Oops. Sorry”. That was about it. He continues to draw his monthly income.

The guardian of the journalistic temple is also under fire

Recently challenged by Transparencia, Jean-Pierre Jacqmin has not responded to this media missile.

“Why is the RTBF Info journalist in charge of news paid as much as the Minister-President of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation that subsidises him? To be sure that he will faithfully serve the interests of the ministers and parties in power? Early in their career, every RTBF journalist is one day confronted with Jean-Pierre Jacqmin's displeasure, when articles too often displease the leaders in power. Jean-Pierre "BRITA" and his deputies reread/filter, and after a few months the "formatted" RTBF journalist has learned the lesson: he knows in advance what he must keep from the public. Never talk too much about civil-servant whistleblowers who want to inform the public about the dysfunctions of the politicised public service. Thanks to this journalistic auxiliary, paid like a minister, it is no longer even necessary for a politician to complain about an article; they are already so smoothed out by JPJ that everything just slides off.” Sources: Transparencia and RTBF annual report pp. 139 to 14.

The press holds the power of media life and death

We all remember the media assault on Carl de Moncharline, in an all-out prosecution speech during a toxic programme oversold by François de Brigode in three television news bulletins. Unprecedented. Carl was subsequently never troubled legally for anything. Without Justine Katz, the conductor of it all, offering the slightest hint of an apology.

What can be said about the media carnage over Bernard Crutzen's excellent documentary… The Belgian population has had enough of this journalistic totalitarianism of the Belgian authorities. A serious governance problem reigns in the Reyers buildings. What can be said about the board of directors, on which no political representative has any real media expertise. Les Engagés pushed Joëlle Milquet onto it, and the PTB put Vincent Engel there, not a party member, a professor of contemporary French literature…

This must stop…

Pietje Schramouille

The opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent those of BAM!

Sources

• Préavis de grève à la RTBF: direction et CGSP
• 1210 SJTN: Journalisme, médias et politique
• Dan Gagnon censorship: Dan Gagnon, sur sa chronique critique envers la RTBF
• PE censorship: https://www.facebook.com/PEjennar/
• Whistleblower: La RTBF renonce à licencier de nouveau la lanceuse d’alerte Christine Sprumont
• Philippot more expensive than Obama: Jean-Paul Philippot (RTBF) savait depuis 2017 que son salaire
• Thomas Gunzig:
  https://www.facebook.com/LaPremiereRTBF/videos/623621689172761
• Annual report:
  https://rapportannuelrtbf.be/wp-content/uploads/
• RTBF governance: La Gouvernance de la RTBF :
• Facebook Transparencia Jacqmin:
  https://www.facebook.com/page/1100531570030618/search?q=jacqmin

Photo source:
Original image by besjunior on stock.adobe.com (resized image)