The suspension of a high-ranking journalist from a leading French TV news channel has exposed a system of “news-for-hire” corruption in international media.
Veteran presenter Rachid M’Barki was suspended from his duties on the BFM channel in January, and now an investigation conducted by the newspaper Le Monde in collaboration with activists Forbidden Stories has revealed the reason for his dismissal.
Le Monde reports that M’Barki had reports drawn up by an organization in Israel, a team the newspaper says is Team Jorge, led by a former Israeli soldier whose real name is Tal Hanan. According to Le Monde, Team Jorge is one of a growing number of players in the market that spread disinformation and pay for access to mainstream media to tarnish a subject’s reputation or even influence elections.
Investigators claim that Hanan was in contact and that he told them he interfered in more than 30 elections in total.
M’Barki admits he published the stories without BFM’s usual editorial reviews and says he found the stories and found them valid – although he denies he was paid for them.
The reports he made would have gone unnoticed after being featured on M’Barki’s hosting services overnight if Team Jorge’s avatars had not jumped into action and spread the stories on social media.
The reports include stories about corruption allegations in Qatar and the impact of EU sanctions on Russia on Monaco’s luxury yacht industry.
Click here to read more about Le Monde research and the banned stories…
Source: Deadline
Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
