'French CNN' to challenge US view of world affairs

[emad]

Jon Henley in Paris
Friday December 10, 2004
The Guardian

France is to launch a French-language news channel next year in a long-awaited attempt to challenge the dominance of the American view of world current affairs, the prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, said yesterday.

The government will provide €30m (£21m) in start-up funding for the channel, which will "allow international broadcasting that will express the diversity to which our nation is attached," Mr Raffarin said.

The CII (International Information Channel) project, better known in France as "CNN à la Francaise", is a pet project of Jacques Chirac's and was first announced shortly after his 2002 re-election.

It was initially greeted with widespread scepticism, seen as yet another Canute-like attempt to preserve French language and culture in the face of the inexorable onward march of English.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1370685,00.html
Vive la difference!

[ROC]

1. Wow Radio Paris

I'll just bet the voice of the french government will be objective and report the european view.

[eleonora]

2. I still think it should be both in French and English

Americans need a major alternative news channel to watch

[Dhalgren]

6. I agree.

The English subtitles will make it difficult, but well worth it. Vive la France!

[flordehinojos]

8. this might inspire some of us to learn, or polish up on our, french

[Dhalgren]

9. Oui!

[flordehinojos]

15. Yes, and this is about the extent of my French too, despite having had it

taught through 8 years of elementary school.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

13. Je pense que c'est une tres bonne idee! pas de texte

[flordehinojos]

16. although, I think I can read your text which I will attempt to translate

here.Translation:

"I think this is a very good idea. Pass the (book?) text"

[bemildred]

18. "pas de texte" == "nt" nt

[Tyrone Slothrop]

19. Very close

It's actually:

"I think this is a very good idea. No text." (n/t)

Or at least that's what it was meant to be. I'm not so sure of the French for text. Book is "livre"; text is texte, IIRC.

[flordehinojos]

22. you are probably right.

I think I just connected "text" with "texto" in Spanish and pas with the American "pass" and my head, trying to be smart, really showed my ignorance. I think your translation makes a whole lot more sense!
;-)

[Politicub]

10. That would be great!

Let's hope they launch an english language version.

[Briar]

12. So do the British n/t

[PATRICK]

3. Under this media

I'd rather watch Chinese news than CNN America. I like and don't trust the French version of the news, but making the attempt would itself be a vast improvement over the mockery of underfunded, pretentious lies we get saturated with daily. Al-Jazeera and others and you get a nice balance indeed. After dealing with discerning our American crap I think we are grown up enough to weed out similar abuses elsewhere.

And beat down Murdoch Global Lies Network too.

[RawMaterials]

4. I would pay to watch in subtitles :) n/m

[Dhalgren]

7. Me too!

[0007]

5. I bet Michael Powell is talking like porky pig about this one.

Call in James A. Baker II and get some new laws in place quick!

[Politicub]

11. I can't stand michael powell

He resembles Porky Pig, but porky was more articulate.

[0007]

21. You got that right!

[DFWJock]

14. Will it be called

"Freedom News?"

[neweurope]

17. Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! I'm so * sick of the dominance of the

US-media-agencies!

Leave it to the French. *glows with European pride and wishes her government would co-finance this*

[BonjourUSA]

26. Euronews.com already exists in seven languages

[DavidDvorkin]

27. Thanks, BonjourUSA

That looks like a good site.

[Vidar]

20. Vive la France.

[Rochambeau]

23. If you want to improve a bit your french and exchange ideas a bit with

some french DUers and francophiles americans, either in french or in english, please visite the Groupe Francophone de DU (which is bilingual in fact).
You're all welcome !

[Isere]

24. Super sympa!

What a great idea! I'm going to have a look-see sur le champ!

[Eric J in MN]

25. They should have English subtitles.

For the millions of English speakers who want more news diversity.

[pig.]

28. are they taking donations? n/t

[goforit]

29. Whooooo Hooooooo!!!.....LOL!!! Go France!!...Competition rises!!!

:bounce: