French bashing in The Times

by The3rdColumn Mon Feb 25th, 2008 at 12:34:14 AM EST

Very active chief Paris correspondent for The Times Charles Bremner's forté is clearly French bashing! I find that he sometimes goes overboard and have criticised him in the past, even if only obliquely (I do try not to be adversarial -- have also complimented him on a few occassions for some of his articles) but he did get quite peeved by one of my comments which he felt had questioned his journalistic ethics -- the topic of his rant then was the 21-year old son of President Sarkozy whom he had decided to attack in both his regular column and weblog.

Bremner's weblog and regular column have been the epicenter of Times' huge French bashing print activities. Wouldn't be off the mark to say that Bremner has been encouraging, wittingly or unwittingly, his largely Anglo-American commenters (although there are a few French regulars) to heap ridicule, contempt and beastly remarks on the French and France. Although he's been focused on bashing Sarkozy and Carla Bruni of late (must say they've become more than a fair game), any topic that would allow him a 'swipe' at the French is not lost on him, eg., Is Colonel Gaddafi a Frenchman? ¤

Bremner, whom I believe is a Scot (not too sure anymore but I think he's written that he's also part Aussie) but raised and educated partly in Moscow, says his current wife is French so I don't understand why his rather smart alecky comments vis-a-vis the French and France continue unabated. It's not as if the French and France are any 'worse' than the Scots, the Aussies or the Russians for that matter...

I don't really mind the anti-French comments by his readers -- they're just having fun and that's fine with me but I do mind when Bremner writes something that incites them to believe as 'biblical truth' about France and the French. I haven't been posting comments in his weblog for some time now but recently, I decided to add my grain of salt (not sure though that Bremner will not moderate) to the usually acidic commentaries in his weblog after reading a non-French reader ask:

Didn't CB once write here that the French don't like or trust each other?"

My "grain of salt" (CB is Charles Bremner):

CB's 'critiques' of the French, including the one you said he wrote is part and parcel of his job -- if he writes negative things about the French and France, he has to do it -- it's his bread and butter. Besides he works for Murdoch and Murdoch is not enamoured of the French (nor of the Brits for that matter.)
You must understand that Brits have an inbred hostility against the French, it's almost visceral. The French haven't as much -- they are more nuanced and if anything at all, the French have great respect for 'les Anglais' when they deserve it (I know this because my family is Anglo-French.) And even if CB is not English, I'm sure he feels that respect in France. Not sure CB returns the compliment.

French bashing in The Times | 11 comments (11 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: French bashing in The Times (none / 0)

Well done Third Column. As you know I used to be a regular on Charles' Blog but got bored with the endlessly repetitious anti-French comments of some of his fan base. I also get fed up on his endless focus on any story with a news angle which could be portrayed as presenting the French in a poor light - as at best, idiosyncratic, self-absorbed, bureaucratic, hypocritical and somehow not getting with the dominant Anglo-American program.

I have no doubt that this is precisely the sort of stuff his editors and readers (outside France) lap up, but it has led to a tabloidisation of the Times to a degree unthinkable some years ago.

But I think you do Charles' himself a dis-service. He does have a much more nuanced understanding of France and a good deal of credibility amongst the French journalistic community - being a regular interviewee on French media outlets where he is asked to present the outsiders perspective on France.

You have to admit that Sarkozy et al have given him enormous grist for the mill, and a somewhat mocking portrayal of his "reign" would be fair game in any other European Capital as well. You don't have to be anti-French to find that performance increasingly hilarious if not embarrassing.

I don't think Charles Bremner starts out from a position of prejudice against France, but like any astute journalist, he knows where his market is. There is a huge market in francophobia because France challenges the dominant narrative and many find that disconcerting. Equally, many French people are hugely self-critical of France, and if Bremner wasn't the Paris correspondent of the Times, his views would be unremarkable.

His experiences in Moscow have left him with an abiding mistrust of an authoritarian state, and if he were stationed (e.g. in the US) I'm sure you would find him equally mistrusting of many of the norms of US political and daily life.

It's no harm having a press which punctures a few balloons of the unctuous in political life, and Bremner does that as well as anyone. He also spends a lot of time moderating the comments of his readership which is more than can be said for almost any other Times journalist.

So maybe we should cut him some slack. He can't be held entirely responsible for the views of all of his regular bloggers - the odd one of which has followed us here!

"It's a mystery to me - the game commences, For the usual fee - plus expenses, Confidential information - it's in my diary..."

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Mon Feb 25th, 2008 at 05:38:00 AM EST

Re: French bashing in The Times (none / 1)

Hi Frank, I know, used to be a regular there too until it all became one cacophonious forum that made no sense. Like you got tired of reading the same tirades. Found that Charles Bremner was bginning to fal into the tabloid news/journalism category, i.e., any old topic could be rehashed so long as it becomes a hot story. While I agree with you that Charles has " He does have a much more nuanced understanding of France and a good deal of credibility amongst the French journalistic community - being a regular interviewee on French media outlets where he is asked to present the outsiders perspective on France." -- these 'privileges' don't give him the license to incite the mob by continuing to feed them with slanted stories. Simple sense of responsibility. I disagree with you though when you say that "I don't think Charles Bremner starts out from a position of prejudice against France,". The Brits DO HAVE an inbred hostility against the French, i.e., prejudice; don't believe Bremner is free of prejudice -- can very well believe he's toned down having lived in France but free of prejudices? Nope, can't believe that. Frankly, I'm wont not to give him some slack but on second thought, why not (give him some slack)? After all criticising Bremner is not my bread and butter whereas, like you said, Bremner is as an astute journalist; he needs to write negative stories about France and to continue feeding the frenzied Francophobic mob because he's got to bring home the bacon. What a way to make a living, eh?

by The3rdColumn on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 12:25:53 PM EST
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Re: French bashing in The Times (none / 1)

Ooops, gotta format that right, hang on... Hi Frank,

I know, used to be a regular there too until it all became one cacophonious forum that made no sense. Like you got tired of reading the same tirades. Found that Charles Bremner was bginning to fal into the tabloid news/journalism category, i.e., any old topic could be rehashed so long as it becomes a hot story.

While I agree with you that Charles has " He does have a much more nuanced understanding of France and a good deal of credibility amongst the French journalistic community - being a regular interviewee on French media outlets where he is asked to present the outsiders perspective on France." -- these 'privileges' don't give him the license to incite the mob by continuing to feed them with slanted stories. Simple sense of responsibility.

I disagree with you though when you say that "I don't think Charles Bremner starts out from a position of prejudice against France,". The Brits DO HAVE an inbred hostility against the French, i.e., prejudice; don't believe Bremner is free of prejudice -- can very well believe he's toned down having lived in France but free of prejudices? Nope, can't believe that.

Frankly, I'm wont not to give him some slack but on second thought, why not (give him some slack)? After all criticising Bremner is not my bread and butter whereas, like you said, Bremner is as an astute journalist; he needs to write negative stories about France and to continue feeding the frenzied Francophobic mob because he's got to bring home the bacon.

What a way to make a living, eh?

by The3rdColumn on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 12:27:06 PM EST
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Re: French bashing in The Times (none / 1)

By the way, I think I told you this alread, anyway, as you know am one of the "odd ones" that you managed to direct to ET! Thanks!

by The3rdColumn on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 12:28:06 PM EST
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Just jalous ;-) (none / 0)

by fredouil (fredouil@gmailgmailgmail.com) on Mon Feb 25th, 2008 at 06:31:41 AM EST

better in picture (none / 0)

by fredouil (fredouil@gmailgmailgmail.com) on Mon Feb 25th, 2008 at 06:34:22 AM EST
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Re: better in picture (none / 0)

by fredouil (fredouil@gmailgmailgmail.com) on Mon Feb 25th, 2008 at 06:35:26 AM EST
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Re: better in picture/Jalous (none / 0)

Hey, you a member of Attali's "Jalous" club?

Sounds very much like what Jacques Attali, former minister and adviser to Pres François Mitterand, pointed out to critics of France: "You're all just jealous!"

by The3rdColumn on Wed Feb 27th, 2008 at 12:36:21 PM EST
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Re: French bashing in The Times (none / 0)

European Tribune - French bashing in The Times