Media: France warns CNEWS over airtime given to Russian journalist

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has warned French television channel CNEWS that it could face criminal proceedings if it continues to give airtime to journalist Ksenia Fedorova, who previously headed RT France, Le Monde reports. 

In a letter to France’s Regulatory Authority for Audiovisual and Digital Communication (Arcom), Nuñez said Fedorova’s appearances could “undermine the fundamental interests of the state.” He argued that her participation via video link circumvents measures taken against her and could lead to criminal proceedings.

“I would like to bring to your attention that this situation directly contradicts recently adopted decisions on expulsion and the freezing of assets and could result in a number of criminal proceedings,” Nuñez wrote.

CNEWS said on August 28 that Fedorova’s participation in its broadcasts “cannot be ruled out.” On September 2, presenter Gauthier Le Bret said the channel’s lawyers found no legal basis in the expulsion order to bar her from appearing remotely.

Fedorova headed RT France from 2017 until the bureau’s closure in 2023 following the freezing of its accounts. She currently works as a commentator for CNEWS and contributes columns to Le Journal du Dimanche.

By Vafa Guliyeva