Le Figaro
| File:Le Figaro Logo.svg Logo of Le Figaro | |
| Company type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Industry | Media, Publishing |
| Founded | 1826 |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | France |
Key people | Alexis Brézet (editorial director) |
| Products | Newspaper, Supplements, Online news |
| Owner | Dassault Group |
| Parent | Groupe Figaro |
| Website | lefigaro |
Le Figaro () is a French daily newspaper established in 1826, taking its name from Figaro, a character created by Pierre Beaumarchais in his theatrical works. Its guiding principle, inspired by a quote from Beaumarchais, declares: "Without the liberty to criticize, flattering praise does not exist."
Recognized as France's oldest national daily, Le Figaro holds the status of a newspaper of record in France alongside Le Monde and Libération. Since 2004, ownership has been under the Dassault Group, with Alexis Brézet appointed as editorial director in 2012. It stands as the second most widely circulated national newspaper in France after Le Monde. The publication espouses a centre-right editorial perspective and operates from its headquarters located on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris's 9th arrondissement.
Printed in Berliner format, Le Figaro belongs to Groupe Figaro, which also publishes titles such as Le Figaro Magazine, TV Magazine, and Evene. As of 2022, its average circulation reached 354,853 copies.
History
Originally launched in 1826 as a satirical weekly, Le Figaro derived both its name and its motto from Le Mariage de Figaro, the 1778 play by Pierre Beaumarchais that challenged social privileges. The motto, taken from Figaro’s speech, reads: "Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n'est point d'éloge flatteur" ("Without the freedom to criticize, there is no flattering praise"). Among its early contributors were notable figures such as Albert Wolff, Émile Zola, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, Théophile Gautier, and Jules Arsène Arnaud Claretie. The publication schedule was irregular until 1854 when Hippolyte de Villemessant assumed control.
Transitioning to a daily newspaper in 1866, Le Figaro released its inaugural daily issue on 16 November, selling 56,000 copies—the highest circulation recorded in France at that time. The paper maintained a royalist editorial line during this period. Contributor Pauline Savari was active during these years.
On 20 February 1909, the newspaper published a manifesto by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti that marked the beginning of the Futurism movement in art.
Tragedy struck on 16 March 1914 when editor Gaston Calmette was assassinated following his publication of a letter that tarnished the reputation of the Finance Minister. In 1922, the perfume entrepreneur François Coty purchased the paper and controversially shortened its title to simply Figaro between 1929 and 1933. During this era, cartoons by Abel Faivre appeared regularly.
By the outbreak of World War II, Le Figaro had established itself as France’s leading newspaper. After the war, it became identified with the upper middle class and adopted a conservative editorial stance.
In 1975, ownership passed to Robert Hersant's company Socpresse. Later in 1999, The Carlyle Group acquired a 40% share but divested it by March 2002. Since March 2004, conservative businessman and politician Serge Dassault, owner of aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation, has held an 80% stake through Groupe Figaro.
Franz-Olivier Giesbert served as editorial director between 1998 and 2000.
In 2006, the publication faced bans in Egypt and Tunisia due to articles considered offensive to Islam.
The switch to Berliner format occurred in 2009, coinciding with the introduction of The New York Times International Weekly supplement. In 2010, Lefigaro.fr launched an English-language section titled Le Figaro in English, offering translated articles for an international audience; this feature was discontinued in 2012.
Throughout the 2010s, columns by future presidential hopeful Éric Zemmour attracted considerable attention and readership, aiding his emergence into politics.
Editorial perspective and disputes
has historically upheld a conservative editorial line, catering primarily to France's upper and middle social strata.[1] In recent years, its political orientation has moved closer to the center.
The ownership by Serge Dassault generated debate due to potential conflicts of interest, given Dassault's role as a significant military contractor and his political involvement with the Union for a Popular Movement party. His son, Olivier Dassault, held a seat in the French National Assembly.[2] In a 2004 interview on France Inter, Dassault asserted that "newspapers must promote wholesome ideas" while dismissing "left-wing ideas" as detrimental.[3]
In February 2012, reporters at adopted a resolution criticizing managing editor Étienne Mougeotte for transforming the publication into the "bulletin" of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, demanding increased diversity and integrity in political reporting. Mougeotte had earlier suggested the publication would refrain from embarrassing the administration and President Nicolas Sarkozy.[4][5][6] Mougeotte replied: "Our editorial stance satisfies our audience as it stands... We are clearly a right-wing newspaper. Both our readers and journalists are aware of this."[7]
Circulation trends
During 1995–96, the newspaper's average circulation was 391,533 copies, ranking behind Le Parisien, which had 451,159 copies.
| Year | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation | 366,690 | 360,909 | 366,529 | 369,108 | 369,706 | 365,083 | 337,118 | 332,818 | 338,618 | 330,482 | 323,991 | 325,509 |
| Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circulation | 329,367 | 330,952 | 324,170 | 320,732 | 317,152 | 311,127 | 312,994 | 313,694 | 329,462 | 331,927 |
Le Figaro Group
Le Figaro operates under the umbrella of Groupe Figaro, which is itself a branch of the Marcel Dassault Industrial Group. The entity previously known as Socpresse, which was dissolved in 2005, was reestablished as Dassault Media (Figaro Group) in 2011.
The daily Le Figaro and its supplements
The newspaper features two main daily supplements: Le Figaro Économie, launched in 1984 and printed on salmon-hued paper, and Le Figaro et vous, introduced in 2005, which centers on cultural and lifestyle topics.
Other supplements distributed throughout the week include:
- Monday: The tabloid-format supplement Le Figaro Réussir alongside four pages dedicated to health since February 2010.
- Tuesday: An eight-page insert sourced from the New York Times.
- Wednesday: The Le Figaro Étudiant section coupled with the regional entertainment supplement Le Figaroscope for Île-de-France.
- Thursday: An eight-page edition of Le Figaro Littéraire.
- Friday and Saturday: Optional magazine-style inserts such as Le Figaro Magazine, Madame Figaro, and TV Magazine.
Other supplements and titles
- Monthly editions include Le Figaro Patrimoine and Le Figaro Étudiant.
- Since September 2015, the lifestyle publication F, l'art de vivre du Figaro (previously called Almaviva) has been published six times per year.
- Irregular thematic supplements such as Figaro plus (covering sports and other topics) and Le Figaro demain are also offered.
- The lifestyle section Paris Chic specifically targets wealthy Chinese tourists visiting Paris.
- Revived in 2011 as a digital platform and issued as a quarterly print magazine from August 2013, Jours de France focuses on celebrity news and European royalty.
- Every Tuesday, a supplemental volume containing key entries from the Encyclopædia Universalis, which includes over 6,000 articles with comprehensive cross-referencing, is available for purchase.
Online edition
The digital version of the newspaper has been accessible at lefigaro.fr since 1999.
In January 2010, lefigaro.fr introduced exclusive subscriber-only content, including paid access to archived materials. The site broadened its portfolio with an online wine magazine in 2011 and launched the debate platform FigaroVox in 2014.
According to Nielsen Médiamétrie data, by 2008, Le Figaro had established itself as France’s leading news website. It earned the "Best Mobile Media" award twice by 2011 and sustained its position as the top French online press outlet through 2013, achieving over 11 million unique visitors monthly.
On 13 April 2015, the company unveiled Figaro Premium, a subscription service initially priced at €9.90 per month (later increased to €15), which was complimentary for print subscribers. This offering granted unlimited access to all articles and associated magazines with limited advertising, available from the evening preceding print publication. At that time, digital operations accounted for one-quarter of group revenues and represented 22% of advertising income. Simultaneously, specialized platforms such as Scan Politique, Scan Sport, Scan TV, Figaro Immobilier, Figaro Jardin, and Scan Éco were developed.
Subscription numbers for digital services grew swiftly: by 2017, there were approximately 80,000 digital-only subscribers alongside 70,000 who subscribed to both print and digital editions. In 2019, Le Figaro ranked among France’s top 50 most visited websites with a digital subscriber base of 130,000. The figure reached 200,000 digital subscribers by November 2020.
A cybersecurity audit in early 2020 revealed that subscriber personal data had been accessible on an unsecured server. Subsequently, in July 2021, the National Commission on Informatics and Liberty imposed a €50,000 fine on Le Figaro for breaching GDPR rules related to third-party cookies being installed without obtaining user consent.
FigaroVox
FigaroVox is a digital segment of figaro.fr introduced in 2014 by Alexis Brézet, a former Valeurs actuelles journalist known for his right-leaning editorial stance. The initiative, inspired by Patrick Buisson—an advisor linked to Nicolas Sarkozy's 2012 shift toward the far right—transposed the print edition's "debates and opinions" section to an online format, reinforcing the publication's political engagement. Under the leadership of Vincent Trémolet de Villers and editorial direction of Alexandre Devecchio, FigaroVox featured contributors such as Maxime Tandonnet and Gilles-William Goldnadel, combining elements of conservative politics, devout Catholicism, and the "new reactionary" movement.
The platform concentrated on topics including "the deterioration of republican education, uncontrolled immigration, and Islam perceived as the central threat to national identity." Sociologists and political commentators have described it as "ultraconservative," positioning it as a voice for "the far right," akin to publications like Causeur or Valeurs actuelles. It functioned to complement Le Figaro's more centrist print positions by delivering an "identitarian and activist journalism," thus attracting a diverse readership.
While hosting writers from across the political spectrum, FigaroVox was characterized by an intense focus on identity politics and a staunchly sovereigntist, ultra-conservative editorial approach, frequently associating Islam with extremism. Prominent intellectuals such as Éric Zemmour and Alain Finkielkraut appeared regularly, alongside some left-wing contributors like Laurent Bouvet. The site served as a platform for conservative critiques of globalization from a reactionary standpoint.
Since 2019, leadership has been under Guillaume Perrault, with Alexandre Devecchio serving as deputy editor. By 2020, its roster of regular columnists included Bertille Bayart, Nicolas Baverez, Renaud Girard, Mathieu Bock-Côté, Luc Ferry, and Ivan Rioufol, complemented by various guest writers.
Participation and Subsidiaries
From 2006 onward, Le Figaro strategically expanded its digital footprint through targeted acquisitions aimed at diversifying its offerings. The purchase of sport24.com in 2006 broadened its sports coverage. In 2007, it incorporated the cultural website evene.fr along with the ticketing platform Ticketac.com into its portfolio. The acquisition of Météo Consult in 2008, which included La Chaîne Météo, enhanced its online weather-related services. Later that year, it added La Banque Audiovisuelle via The Skreenhouse Factory, focusing on television and internet video content.
In 2009, Le Figaro ventured into finance publishing by acquiring Particulier et Finances Éditions, encompassing titles like Le Particulier and the website leparticulier.fr. The following year saw the purchase of Adenclassifieds, leading to the establishment of Figaro Classifieds—a group including Cadremploi, Keljob.com, Explorimmo, among others specializing in employment listings, real estate, and classifieds. Further acquisitions included achat-terrain.com and constructeurs-maisons.com in 2012 and the student-oriented video platform Campus-Channel in 2014.
A significant development occurred in 2015 with the complete acquisition of CCM Benchmark Group, bringing renowned digital brands such as L'Internaute, Journal du Net, and Le Journal des femmes under Le Figaro’s control. This move elevated Le Figaro’s ranking from fifteenth to fourth in France for non-mobile web traffic, attracting 24 million unique monthly visitors—positioned just behind Google, Microsoft, and Facebook.
Principal subsidiaries include:
- Media Figaro (advertising agency),
- Météo Consult and La Chaîne Météo,
- Particulier et Finances Éditions,
- Figaro Classifieds (with Cadremploi, Keljob.com, Explorimmo, Propriétés Le Figaro, Le Figaro Étudiant, KelFormation),
- Marco Vasco.
Group partnerships
Since 1970, Le Figaro has been the main sponsor of the sailing competition known as the Solitaire du Figaro.
The newspaper maintains a collaboration with the Center for Political Research at Sciences Po (CEVIPOF) on "Political Studies" and succeeded Le Monde as a partner for the program Le Grand Jury in 2006.
In 2010, together with Dargaud Benelux, Le Figaro launched an exclusive 20-volume "prestige" edition of the XIII series featuring early releases of new volumes within Le Figaro Magazine. Additionally, it curated selections from popular comic franchises such as Largo Winch, Blake and Mortimer, Gaston, Tintin, Lucky Luke, and Spirou and Fantasio.
See also
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References
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:2 - ↑ "Dassault se sépare d'Yves de Chaisemartin", Le Figaro, 1 October 2004. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
- ↑ "M. Dassault veut une presse aux « idées saines »", Le Monde, 12 December 2004. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
- ↑ ""Le Figaro" n'est pas "le bulletin d'un parti"", Le Monde, 9 February 2012
- ↑ "La question du jour. "Le Figaro" est-il un journal d'opinion ou un "bulletin" de l'UMP?", Le Nouvel Observateur, 10 February 2012
- ↑ "Présidentielle : les journalistes du Figaro réclament un journal plus « honnête »", Rue89, 9 February 2012
- ↑ ""Le Figaro" : Mougeotte répond aux critiques de ses journalistes", Le Nouvel Observateur, 10 February 2012
Further reading
- Merrill, John C. and Harold A. Fisher. The World's Great Dailies: Profiles of Fifty Newspapers (1980) pp 124–29
External links
- Official site of Le Figaro
- Digital archives of Le Figaro from 1826 to 1952 available through Gallica, the digital collection of the BnF