Association to Defend the Independence of Agence France-Presse

Election of a New CEO: All Candidates from within AFP should be Auditioned!

Following the sudden resignation of Pierre Louette last month, the election of a new chief executive is of of great interest to all AFP staff.

The board of governors has appointed four of its members to a pre-selection committee which will have the job of auditioning the various candidates -- but no obligation to hear them all.
The committee may also interview people who have not formally applied for the job, in a process which is due to start on Wednesday March 31.

Meanwhile reports on various French web sites suggest that such-and-such a candidate is favoured by the president of the republic, by the prime minister's office or the press barons, etc.

In other words, the process seems to be anything but transparent, and not necessarily in line with the central aim of our association, which is the independence of AFP.

ADIAFP has no opinion on hearings for candidates from outside the agency, most of whom defend views that are far removed from ours.

However, to ensure at least some transparency, we ask that the preselection committee should agree to hear all candidates from within the ranks of AFP staff.

We ask that the representative of journalist staff who sits on the board, and who has been coopted onto the vetting committee, back this demand.

Association to Defend the Independence of AFP, Tuesday March 30, 2010