For the first time in 64 years, Le Monde has not appeared this afternoon, as staff at the French paper of record protest the move to axe 130 jobs—two-thirds of them in editorial, one-third in administration.
In 1995, the paper produced a 40-page edition with 220 staff, today, it brings out a 30-page edition with 150. But the losses are mounting. Last year, the paper lost 20 million euros, and 150 million euros in debt.
Eric Fottorino, the chief executive of the group, and a former reporter, editorialist and editor-in-chief, says there are no magic solutions:
Le Monde’s existence is not anchored in France’s constitution. It’s a company and as such mortal.
Read the full interview: It’s a matter of survival
IJR 