French Press
A morning jolt from Rennes’ local newspaper
Saw something the other day at a local café that you just don’t see in America anymore: A patron reading a newspaper.
She wasn’t scrolling. She had a full-sized broadsheet spread out on her table with a glass of wine and a vape. It’s not an uncommon sight here, though it did strike me that she was a bit younger than the typical ink-stained newshound in these parts.
Whatever, she read each page meticulously, her finger scanning down columns of newsprint filled with politics, sports, fashion and a grisly stabbing or two. It made this cold-hearted newspaperman feel all warm inside, like it was the good ol’ days again, when Philadelphians would read the Daily News in one hand and chow down on a hoagie with the other.
Of course, Philly’s two dailies have been on life support for years. Today, they publish fewer than one-tenth the number of copies that had been printed back when Theresa and I were gainfully employed on Broad Street. The bootjacks on busy street corners are gone, and I hear that not even Wawa carries newspapers any more.
The internet killed print. No big news there, yet it’s worth reminding ourselves that the digits never found a way to replace the simple joy of paging through a real newspaper, stumbling across weird stories about dogs that can do math, filling in the crossword puzzle with ink, cutting out an obit to stick in your wallet. Yeah, you can download a recipe at will, but I kinda miss the yellowed clips I used to tape to the fridge. I don’t think I’m the only one. For proof, look no further than the promos for keepsake copies of the Daily News’ coverage of the Eagles’ Super Bowl win. Readers are shelling out $15 plus shipping!
So, yeah, I have a soft spot for newspapers. Which is why the woman with the newspaper caught my eye.
The paper laid out in front of her was Ouest-France. Ever hear of it? Neither did I, till we moved to Rennes.
I was more familiar with the likes of Le Monde or Le Figaro, the big nationals from Paris. But guess what: Ouest-France sells more copies than the two of them combined. Indeed, with a daily print circulation of more than 600,000, it outsells the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and any other American paper you can name. And it’s not just print. It claims more than two million readers online.
What’s weird is you rarely see it mentioned among the world’s biggest newspapers. Even the French seem to ignore it. I think that’s because it focuses on news outside of Paris, mainly in Brittany and Normandy. Around here, you see its familiar red flag everywhere, with its headlines prominently displayed on boards outside of tabacs and boulangeries. It boasts more than 5,000 carriers who bring it door to door every day, for 15€ a month (about $16 USD).
Ouest-France has an interesting backstory. It was founded by a group of Resistance leaders in 1944 after Liberation forces banned the local collaboration rags. Today, it’s owned by the non-profit Association for the Support of the Principles of Humanist Democracy which, despite its creepy-sounding name, apparently funds some worthy, socially responsible causes.
With 47 regional editions, its international coverage is complemented with strong, local reporting by more than 3,000 journalists – an astounding number in this age of ghost newsrooms.
Journalistically, it’s pretty decent, even as some readers complain about its conservative opinion columns. It opposed gay marriage until France OK’d it in 2013. It was also a backer of conservative president Nicolas Sarkozy. (Rennes is decidedly leftist with a socialist mayor.)
But news-wise, I can’t complain, especially with its wordy motto: Dire sans nuire, montrer sans choquer, dénoncer sans condamner, témoigner sans agresser. ("Say without harming, show without shocking, denounce without condemning, bear witness without attacking.”
It seems to play stories down the middle, with straightforward heds and an arms-length approach to reporting. For example, it went to great lengths this week to get both sides in a wild brawl in downtown Rennes between leftist college students at an illegal rave at an abandoned movie theater and a crew of nightclub bouncers who worked next door for a local right-wing social media personality. We found it indispensable during the all-too-frequent manifestations that accompanied President Macron’s retirement reform efforts. It also does a good job of reporting on local drug crime, new restaurant openings and the arts.
It’s not perfect, and its lack of thoroughness is utterly frustrating. It’s not unusual to read stories in which the reporter bluntly admits he doesn’t know a basic fact. When one of the city’s Metro lines was shut down for five months last year, it never did manage to get an explanation about who or what was at fault. Also, it often doesn’t publish the names of criminals, even after they’re convicted.
Still, for an old news guy brokenhearted by the sad state of American journalism, Ouest-France has been a breath of fresh air.
And as a newcomer to this town, I’ve found it indispensable for learning about the local turf. The pols and their issues, the downtown streets and their businesses, the people and their traditions — I can’t imagine getting a handle on it all without a local newspaper. Yes, the language is a challenge; I subscribe to the online version and usually try to read articles in French first, before inevitably switching over to Google Translate. Every now and then I pick up the dead-tree edition just because I enjoy having it in my hands.
Why does the paper continue to thrive? I have no idea, except it does seem to have adapted to changing times. It promotes its stories in emailed newsletters. Its reporters are active on social media (though the paper last year became the first in France to cease posting in the Twitter sewer). Its website is constantly updated. But American newspapers have done all of that, and they’re folding right and left.
And none of that explains why locals are so damn loyal to its printed version. Let me repeat that number: 600,000 daily copies.
Maybe it’s because the French still generally trust their news sources. You don’t hear the term “fake news” very much around here, though I wonder how long that will last as the popularity of CNews — the French version of Fox News — continues to grow.
Or maybe it’s because the French enjoy the tactile experience of holding reading material in their hands. Judging by the large number of independent bookstores around here, they still read physical books.
Or maybe it’s just because it looks so… French! A café, a beret, a guy in a striped marinière. A crumbling croissant, a cup of coffee, a newspaper.
PS: I really like you two and these excellent dispatches from the civilized world. Keep it up!
I had the same reaction in Italy. It's standard practice for bars (ie, coffee shops) to set out copies of newspapers - big, fat papers printed on nice wide pages - for patrons to read. Newstands everywhere. Bittersweet, for sure.