Françoise Giroud, «The Role of the Print Media», 15 February 1969
French National Archives, reference number 20100024/59
Léa France Gourdji, known as Françoise Giroud (1916–2003), was a leading figure in journalism, literature and French politics in the 20th centurye century. After starting out in the film industry, she co-founded the weekly magazine L’Express in 1953 with Jean-Jacques Servan-Schreiber, making its mark on the media landscape with its incisive tone and modernisation of editorial standards.
Her influence also extended to the sphere of government, where, in 1974, she became the first Secretary of State for Women’s Affairs under President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. A prolific writer, she published numerous works, including acclaimed biographies, leaving behind a legacy as a free-thinking, exacting and fiercely independent intellectual.
On 15 February 1969, the IHEDN invited her to speak on the role of the print media. In this speech – an archived copy of which bears her handwritten corrections – she argues that, far from disappearing in the face of the rise of radio and television, the print media retains an essential function of «confirmation» and clarification, for «what does not appear in print always remains rather vague, vague and uncertain». Giroud thus emphasises that whilst radio «alerts» the public, newspapers enable readers to ensure that they have properly understood the news.
The journalist identifies three main services provided by the print media: practical services, the organisation of knowledge — particularly through the technical and specialist press — and social integration. She explains that reading a newspaper is an act of commitment: «buying a particular newspaper is an act of social integration into a particular group». Furthermore, she defines the newspaper as an «instrument of individual freedom» and a powerful «barometer» of existing opinions.
In the face of economic challenges, Françoise Giroud emphasises the need to view the press as a genuine industry, capable of combining the writing of «genuine journalists» with the demands of «industrial management». She highlights the structural fragility of this sector, which is highly vulnerable to strikes and heavily dependent on advertising, a situation that demands rigorous management to guarantee its independence and long-term viability as a «public service». Her reference to Sylvain Floirat, a press magnate of the time, resonates with contemporary debates on major media owners.
In conclusion, she calls for greater professionalism amongst journalists, who should be trained in the «discipline of information» and possess a sound understanding of economics. She rejects the notion that the press is inherently under threat, asserting that its future depends on its ability to meet the demands of a modern country. Finally, citing the example of the Prague Spring of 1968, she points out that press freedom lies at the heart of democratic aspirations, as it remains the essential prerequisite for the abolition of censorship:
«In totalitarian countries, it has been well understood that you cannot stop people from thinking, but you can prevent citizens from knowing – and, in particular, you can prevent them from knowing that others think or react in the same way as they do.»
Jacques Ellul, «Youth and French Society», 27 April 1970
French National Archives, reference number 20100024/63
A leading intellectual figure of the 20the In the 20th century, Jacques Ellul (1912–1994) – a philosopher, lawyer, sociologist, historian and theologian – was a man who defied categorisation; the term most commonly used to describe him was ’Christian anarchist«.
A professor at the University of Bordeaux and the Institute of Political Studies, he developed a transdisciplinary philosophy centred on a critique of technology, which he regarded as the alienating driving force behind modern societies, both in the West and the East. His work explores how technology imposes an exclusive form of rationality, threatening human freedom and profoundly transforming political and social structures.
Alongside his academic career, Jacques Ellul was an influential Protestant theologian and a member of the Resistance from 1940 onwards; in 2001, he was honoured with the title of Righteous Among the Nations. His intellectual legacy, characterised by a visionary ability to anticipate the dangers of technological excess, continues to influence contemporary debates on humanity’s place in the face of new technologies and consumer society.
Invited on 27 April 1970 to speak on «youth and French society» to the IHEDN’s audience, he chose to focus on just two groups, «maladjusted young people» and students, as he knew them «well from personal experience»: as an academic in the case of the latter, and as chairman of a «community-based prevention club» in the case of the former.
For Ellul, this sense of alienation felt by a section of the youth should not be viewed in a negative light, but rather as a symptom revealing the deep-seated ills of society. He identifies several strata of ’misfits« dating from the late 1950s, beginning with the »blousons noirs« (1958–1963). Characterised by a »hard personality«, they formed organised, often violent gangs, seeking a form of self-affirmation through risk-taking. Around 1964, this category gave way to that of the »long-haired youth«, whom the author describes as »fluid personalities« susceptible to all manner of influences.
«THEY WANT EVERYTHING, RIGHT NOW»
A third category emerged around 1967–1968: the «minet». Unlike the previous categories, this one is «well-groomed», «well-dressed» and «polite», but is characterised by a form of delinquency rooted in non-conformity. Finally, Ellul notes the more recent emergence of the «hippies», who are characterised by a desire to live radically on the fringes of society, whilst upholding «a certain moral or even spiritual ideal».
These troubled young people sometimes surprised him, such as in the «most bizarre case of devotion» he witnessed in a boy «whom nobody knew what to do with»: having discovered that the graves of First World War soldiers had been neglected, he was deeply moved. Together with «thirty of these misfits», they organised a «surboum» to raise funds to maintain the graves.
With regard to students, Ellul emphasises that, despite their material comforts, they are deeply «unhappy» and «uneasy» both culturally and psychologically. They suffer from a lack of role models and certainties, which leads them into a «state of latent despair» and radical protest. Unlike other misfits, students are characterised by a high degree of politicisation, often on the left, in search of a doctrine capable of changing a world they perceive as «appallingly rational».
Their relationship with time is crucial to understanding their unease: they «want everything, right now» because they share «the terrible feeling that there will be no tomorrow». In this analysis, published two years after May «68, Jacques Ellul also argues that »parents can do very little because children’s conditioning is carried out by the wider social environment in which they find themselves’. For him, it is self-evident that:
«Young people need a certain degree of authority, and adults must be a presence in their lives; that is what enables them to develop as individuals.»
The next instalment in our series «The Pen and the Shield» will be published next week: «Before the «Global South» ".
The IHEDN would like to thank the Archives Unit within the
Prime Minister’s Office for facilitating access to these speeches.
French 
English