Frédéric AntoineObservatoire du Récit médiatique (ORM)

École de Journalisme de Louvain(EJL)

Département de Communication

Université Catholique de Louvain

Louvain-la-Neuve

Belgique

« La spectacularisation des personnalités politiques dans les programmes de

télévision de la Communauté française  »

Frédéric AntoineObservatoire du Récit médiatique (ORM)

École de Journalisme de Louvain(EJL)

Département de Communication

Université Catholique de Louvain

Louvain-la-Neuve

Belgique

« La spectacularisation des personnalités politiques dans les programmes de

télévision de la Communauté française  »

Belgian reputation…

• QuickTime™ et undécompresseur TIFF (non compressé)sont requis pour visionner cette image.

QuickTime™ et undécompresseur TIFF (non compressé)sont requis pour visionner cette image.

Ministre Michel Dardenne

Starting impressions

• Men and women politicians became « media characters » • Media are more interested in politicians as « real people » (men and women)• The lives of political personalities are more important than their speeches• The political debate disappears, and only the characters remain

Specificities of French speaking Belgium

(CFWB)

• A community in 2 territories: Wallonia and Brussels (“Communauté française Wallonie-Bruxelles- CFWB)

•A small country mainly influenced on cultural and mediatic fields by its neighbour France • In France, the media use to consider politicians as “ real people”, specially in television• The situation is less “dramatic” in French speaking Belgium. But…

The research

• Analyse of television programs where politicians are involved. • Inquiries near all the members of the French Speaking Parliament• Interviews with political leaders• Interviews with journalists, producers and directors of television channels

The research

• The central question of research had been put by the CSA (“conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel”) and relayed by the Parliament. • We found extremely different point of view.

The politicians

• They criticize television : • For most of them, tv refuses more and more to give word to politicians, and prefer to show them in Infotainment programs. • Some of them recognize they agree to take part to shows and entertainment programs because they think it is the only mean to meet a wide part of the population.

People of the media

• They try to explain the specificies of tv as media: they need to show something. • They point out that they keep a part of their programs for ideas and political speeches • They underline that a lot of politicians are ready to do anything if they are sure they will be seen in a show and that most of the politicians are firstly interested by their image.

The content

• In CFWB, we still have “political programs” on tv.

– The themes are more and more linked to society problems and less to political subjects– The programs use frequently testimonies and witnesses– Speaking time granted to each speaker is rather short

The content– Politicians take sometimes part to entertainment programs where they agree to speak about themselves.– Some programs based on long duration interviews show the politicians in their lives outside the Parliament.– Public Television has still “political tribunes” and specific programs for the parties before each election. These programs are quite “classical”…

•(They can speak to the audience as if they were speaking at the Parliament speaker’s platform)

Our conclusions– It is almost normal that television wants to “show” the political world.

• That is not new. Long duration interviews with politicians exist at the Public Belgian tv since mid-sixties.• Television is a showing media. To make a good television program, you need to have good characters and action.

– Only speaking programs are not televisual– The making of a program can make the screen more dynamic but is not often able to keep the audience– Politicians have to understand the specificies of the media and exploite them rather than criticize.

–

Our conclusions• The politicians take part to the “planet people”

– Today, they are members of the media star-system.– In CFWB, we do not have a lot of “local stars” (main of our stars are French stars).– Media are interested in “people” stories.– They are “obliged” to focus on the politicians. If they agree.

Our conclusions• In CFWB, most of the time, television do not attack the private life of politicians. • But a trend exists to carry more interest to it. Because of

– Media competition – French media influence– The more and more important role of narrative in the media story telling

Our conclusions• Until now, we did not meet a lot a problems between politicians and the media.

– Media need to show politicians– Some of them are ready to dot that.

• But the political debate has disappeared. It has no more place in television, that focuses on “talk-show” rather than on debates.

Our questions• What do the politicians do to avoid to be considered as a members of the “star-system”?• Is that not in relation with the egocentric character of a lot of politicians?

• Where is held today the political debate? • The television channels are still the “symbolic agora” of our post-modern societes? • What is the role of tv in a democratic society?