Experts in journalism ethics are still wrestling with the question of whether a journalism school in the hands of major captains of industry is likely to produce truly independent journalists.
The Ecole Supérieure de Journalisme de Paris (ESJ Paris) was delighted to announce its takeover by France's most prominent entrepreneurs on Friday, November 15. Numerous figures from the French capitalist world have joined forces to buy out the business of what one press release describes as "the oldest journalism school in the world" – founded in 1899, it did not offer any journalism training at the time. The who's who of investors include Bernard Arnault's Financière Agache holding (owner of Le Parisien, Les Echos and Paris Match) to Rodolphe Saadé's CMA Média (BFM-TV, La Provence), Vincent Bolloré's Compagnie de l'Odet (Canal+, Europe 1, Prisma, Le Journal du dimanche...), Stanislas and Godefroy de Bentzmann (Devoteam, 189th fortune in France according to Challenges magazine), the Habert-Dassault family's Koodenvoi investment fund, and the Bayard Presse group, owned by the Assumptionist Catholic religious congregation/
ESJ Paris is nothing like ESJ Lille, which celebrated its centenary on November 9. It is not one of the 14 journalism schools recognized by the profession in France, which are linked to universities.
In its press release, ESJ Paris boasts of having had "prestigious teachers such as Anatole France, Charles Péguy, Maurice Ravel, Raymond Poincaré, Maurice Schumann and Gaston Doumergue." For its relaunch, it has a clear and ambitious objective: "To reinforce its position as a reference in the field of journalistic education, particularly in economics."
At the heart of the deal is Vianney d'Alançon, 38, who has been appointed president of the school. The entrepreneur, a stakeholder in this takeover through Financière de la Lance, is the creator of the Rocher Mistral amusement park, in southern France, which was condemned in February 2024 by the Aix-en-Provence criminal court for breaches of town-planning, heritage and environmental regulations. He has appealed against this judgment.
Bolloré was reportedly one of the first to join the ESJ buyout consortium, but to prevent the conservative billionaire from gaining too strong a foothold, the round table was recently expanded to include Saadé, Vincent Montagne (CEO of Média-Participations, owner of the Famille Chrétienne, Rustica and Spirou titles) and Bayard Presse, according to a source close to the matter. The venture is reminiscent of another: the creation, in 2018, of the Institut Libre de Journalisme (Free Institute of Journalism), thanks to the support of Bolloré's networks and Catholic billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin.
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