By Michel Rose
PARIS, April 28 (Reuters) - A French fact‑finding inquiry — normally a dull parliamentary ritual — has turned into a polarising political spectacle, giving France's far right an unexpected platform to wage a culture-war campaign against public broadcasters.
Leading the probe is 32-year-old Charles Alloncle, an ally of National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, who has transformed it into a gripping confrontation between far-right forces in parliament and institutions they have long accused
of bias.
By aggressively grilling prominent journalists, star presenters and senior executives - and circulating viral excerpts on social media - Alloncle has drawn unusual public attention and emerged as a rising star of the far right.
As the six-month inquiry into France's 4-billion-euro-a-year public broadcasters draws to a close, media analysts and lawmakers say its impact will outlast the hearings themselves.
They warn the probe has helped erode faith in public broadcasting and laid the groundwork for the National Rally's (RN) pledge to privatise the sector if it wins power in 2027 elections.
RN leaders have relished turning the spotlight on public broadcasters that have long scrutinised the far right and its media allies.
For Alloncle, who currently sits with a group of breakaway conservatives aligned with the RN, the reward may be a cabinet post in a future far-right government, RN sources said.
"He really did the job," RN lawmaker Renault Matthias told Reuters. "It's part of a culture war. Privatising public broadcasting is in our manifesto, so this serves our programme."
BUDGET ATTACKS RESONATE WITH PUBLIC
Critics say the inquiry has gone well beyond standard parliamentary oversight, drawing comparisons to attacks by Britain's right-wing parties on the BBC before and after the Brexit referendum.
While early questioning focused on alleged editorial bias, the emphasis shifted to costs, using selective examples and unsupported insinuation to weaken public support for state-funded media, they say.
"The strategy is not so much to debate editorial bias, but to hammer home the message that it 'costs too much'," said Erwan Balanant, a centrist lawmaker on the committee.
"It's a very effective way of destroying the legitimacy of public broadcasting."
Alloncle cited a 60,000 euro fee paid to actress Virginie Efira to host the Cannes Film Festival opening ceremony in 2022 - not an unusual sum by international standards - as an example of what he said was profligate spending by public broadcasters.
He also revealed the overall amount paid by the public broadcaster to secure the festival's broadcast rights — commercially sensitive information that private competitors could use to undercut future bids.
At the outset of the inquiry in December, polling showed 70% of French people had a good impression of public broadcasting. But Alloncle's budget-focused message has resonated at a time of cost-of-living pressures.
When Reuters spoke to Alloncle near parliament, a passer‑by stopped to congratulate him. "Keep up the good work," the man said.
Alloncle told Reuters he entered politics from the finance sector after meeting Bardella at a technology event. He was later installed as a candidate under an electoral pact between the RN and a smaller coalition partner.
He made no apology for his combative style, which he said reflects a toughness forged in business rather than politics. He said his sole aim was upholding French media laws that guarantee a plurality of political views.
"That means making sure public broadcasters do not chronically under-represent the RN, but also, say, the hard-left party France Unbowed," he said.
QUESTIONS AROUND ROLE OF BOLLORE'S MEDIA EMPIRE
Alloncle's message has been amplified by the media empire of conservative Catholic billionaire Vincent Bolloré, who could benefit from any privatisation of state media. His outlets - including CNews, Journal du Dimanche and Europe 1 - have given extensive coverage to the inquiry and to Alloncle's appearances.
Some lawmakers allege Bolloré's media arm, the Lagardère News holding, went further - accusing it of circulating lists of suggested questions reflecting what they described as a hostile line toward public broadcasters.
"It was a clear case of interference, and I told them to stop," the inquiry's chair, centrist lawmaker Jeremie Patrier-Leitus told Reuters, backing up an earlier report by Le Monde.
Lagardère News and Alloncle did not respond to a request for comment on the list of questions.
For media historian Alexis Lévrier, the episode illustrates a broader convergence between media ownership and political power. "It's a political and media empire aspiring to wield power in 2027," he said.
Testifying before the same inquiry last month, Bolloré denied any coordination with Alloncle. "I had never seen him before today," Bolloré told lawmakers. "But he seems very likeable — and very effective."
(Reporting by Michel Rose, Editing by Gabriel Stargardter and Ros Russell)
