One of France's foremost political talk show hosts has earned his radio station a warning from the media watchdog for a lack of "measure" and "honesty" in its election coverage, seen as boosting the far right.
Cyril Hanouna has become a household name in France for his fiery and controversial shows that often focus on far-right talking points around immigration, Islamism and policing. His show on the C8 TV channel has racked up a total of €7.5 million euros in fines from regulator ARCOM for breaking France's rules on political balance and decorum.
This month, Hanouna has been presenting a daily two-hour radio show on Europe 1 radio ahead of legislative elections on June 30 and July 7, which the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) is currently leading in the polls.
On Thursday, ARCOM issued a formal warning to Europe 1 saying Hanouna's show was favoring the RN, and treating news around the left-wing parties "in a systematically critical and virulent manner, in terms that were often derogatory and outrageous."
"All of these elements reflect a lack of measure and honesty in the comments on electoral news," ARCOM said.
At one point on his show, Hanouna claimed the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance has "a triple objective: the destruction of the republic, the destruction of the country and the destruction of our civilization."
Europe 1 did not respond to a request for comment from Agence France-Presse.
The radio is part of several major news outlets owned by conservative billionaire Vincent Bolloré, including C8, CNews, and Sunday paper Le Journal du Dimanche. They reflect a rightward shift in French politics and key parts of the media landscape.
Two former commentators on CNews, considered France's answer to US network Fox News, are standing in the election as RN candidates: Pierre Gentillet and Guillaume Bigot.