Journalists at a French newspaper have staged their first strike in 16 years amid an escalating row with its billionaire owner over editorial independence, reports The Telegraph.
Reporters at Les Échos, which is owned by Bernard Arnault, the world’s second richest man, have walked out over concerns the tycoon is riding roughshod over long-standing editorial guarantees.
The strike means no print edition of Les Échos was published on Friday, while the newspaper’s website is under a 24-hour blackout.
Journalists have accused bosses of eroding their right to veto the appointment of the paper’s next editor by stacking the vote with hundreds of freelancers and non-journalists.
An abstention would count in favour of Mr Arnault’s candidate, leaving newsroom staff effectively outnumbered, they argue.
The Society of Journalists (SDJ), which represents reporters at Les Échos, described the move as a “serious threat” to the newspaper’s independence.