Élise Lucet

Élise Lucet (/ɛliːs ljuːˈsɛt/; born 30 May 1963) is a French journalist and television host. Known for her investigative journalism work on shows such as Pièces à Conviction, Cash Investigation and Envoyé spécial, she has been dubbed France's "incorruptible journalist".[1] In 2008, she was named Knight of the Legion of Honour.[2][3] Lucet's work for Cash Investigation garnered her and her crew around twenty international awards including a Pulitzer Prize in 2017 for their investigation on the Panama Papers.[4][5][6][7]

This article is about the France Television and radio journalist and presenter. For the BBC TV and radio journalist and presenter with similarly sounding name, see Lyse Doucet.
Élise Lucet
Lucet in 2015
Born (1963-05-30) 30 May 1963
Rouen, France
NationalityFrench
Occupation(s)Journalist, television presenter
Years active1983–present
Employer(s)France 3 (1983–2005)
France 2 (2005–present)
SpouseMartin Bourgeois (2006–2011)
Children1 daughter

Early years

Élise Lucet was born in Rouen, Seine-Maritime. Her father is a teacher and her mother a school director. She has a sister.[8][9] Lucet began her career under Henri Sannier on the Caen affiliate of France 3 in 1983. She subsequently worked for Sygma TV and the public service radio station France Inter. In 1990, she became the host of the 19/20 evening news on France 3. In 1997, she became its lead editor.

Investigative journalism

As a writer and television producer, Lucet hosted Pièces à Conviction from 2000 until 2011. In 2005, she left 19/20 to host 13 heures le journal on France 2. In 2012, she began hosting Cash Investigation, an investigative television programme; she has also hosted Envoyé spécial since 2016.

Controversies

Cash Investigation brought to light some controversies:

  • In June 2012, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) sued France 2 to prevent broadcast of an interview of the NGO's management. The courts ruled in favour of France 2.[10]
  • In October 2013, the programme revealed that the Government of France had fined the training arm of gardening company Jardiland 3.2 million euros in September 2012, with regards to fraudulent transactions concerning hundreds of false training certificates issued between 2007 and 2011. The certificates allowed Jardiland to illegally receive subsidies from professional training organisations.[11] Jardiland announced it would bring a defamation suit against France Télévisions,[12] publicly accusing the Cash Investigation report of presenting false information. In April 2015, Jardiland withdrew its suit.[13]
  • In 2015, Rachida Dati criticised the broadcast for raising questions about a possible link between herself and the Engie corporation (formerly GDF-Suez).[14]
  • In 2015, Élise Lucet took part in a demonstration by the collective named "Informer n’est pas un délit" (English: Informing is not a crime) against a proposed French law about trade secrets,[15] an amendment to the Loi pour la croissance, l'activité et l'égalité des chances économiques (Law for growth, activity and equality of economic opportunity), known as the "Loi Macron". She opposed the measure because it would hamper the production of broadcasts like Cash Investigation.[16] A book was published in 2015.[17]
  • After the 2 February 2016 broadcast of Produits chimiques, nos enfants en danger (Chemical products, our children in danger), the Association française pour l'information scientifique (AFIS; French Association for Scientific Information) issued a press release claiming that the documentary misled viewers. It cited a summary written by the European Food Safety Authority, briefly referred to at the beginning of the show, which stated: "More than 97% of foods contain pesticide residues within legal limits; 54.6 of these contain no detectable trace".[18] Several weeks later the AFIS returned to the subject, in a more detailed article, Comment les téléspectateurs ont été abusés par 'Cash Investigation'.[19]
  • In July 2016, the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (France's media regulatory body), at the request of members of the National Assembly, published a decision relating to the file of investigation on pesticides. The board "regretted that journalists misrepresented that a study by the European Food Safety Authority had revealed that 97% of foodstuffs contained residues of pesticides" and asked France Télévisions to "respect their obligations regarding rigour in the presentation and processing of information".[20] In October 2016, the EFSA published its new annual report on pesticide residues in foods. Following the controversy, it changed the technical terms of its report: this time there is no question of detection limit (LOD) in pesticide residues but of limit of quantification of pesticide residues (LOQ).[21]
  • In October 2016, the first deputy to the Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, contradicted an investigation's claims relating to the cost and the use of the Allianz Riviera, a newly built stadium. A dedicated website was made to back Estrosi's counter-claims. Lucet and Estrosi vigorously opposed each other at the end of the show.[22]
  • In March 2017, the Conference of Bishops of France complained about the "accusatory methods of the show's journalists" when pressed on issues of pedophilia in the Catholic Church; and that they had not talked much about the "recent measures taken by the Church to prevent and punish these acts". Lucet went to the Vatican to try to talk to Pope Francis.[23]

Viewership

Her pugnacity and daring attitude are appreciated by spectators. Her show regularly achieves record viewership numbers for a news programme; she was elected favourite TV host of France in October 2017.[24]

Career

Television

Film
Year Title Role Director
2016 150 Milligrams Herself Emmanuelle Bercot

Accolades

The audiovisual club of Paris awarded her the 2014 Laurier of the TV magazine for Cash Investigation.[25] The same year, she won the yearly International Press (Television) Grand Prize for "her entire career in international news and for excellence and courage in the treatment of international issues in Cash Investigation".[26] Anti-corruption association Anticor later awarded Lucet its 2015 Ethics Price.

Personal life

Lucet and Martin Bourgeois, an antiquarian, were married in 2006. They had a daughter, Rose.[9] Bourgeois died of leukemia in 2011.[9]

References
  1. Delorghon, Celestine (2013-06-19). Produits chimiques : l'overdose: Allergies troubles digestifs fatigue chonique douleurs inexpliquées (in French). Mosaïque Santé. ISBN 978-2-84939-080-1.
  2. "Communiqués de presse". www.culture.gouv.fr. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  3. Élise Lucet, journaliste incorruptible (in French)
  4. "Cash Investigation" (in French). Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  5. "Le blues des journalistes – Nouvelle Une" (in French). Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  6. https://www.pressreader.com/france/var-matin-brignoles-le-luc-saint-maximin/20170414/282312499937602. Retrieved 2021-09-14 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. ""Panama Papers" : 6 choses à savoir sur un Prix Pulitzer historique". TéléObs (in French). 12 April 2017. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  8. Lucet, Élise (1963-....) forme internationale. Retrieved October 4, 2016. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  9. "Élise Lucet". Gala. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  10. ""Cash investigation" : WWF poursuit France 2 en justice" (in French). Retrieved June 9, 2012.
  11. "Formation Pro - Jardiland et les dérives de la formation professionnelle". France Télévisions (in French). October 2, 2013.
  12. Leclerc, Morgan (October 3, 2013). "Mis en cause par France 2, Jardiland conteste "une enquête fantaisiste" sur les dérives de la formation". LSA Conso (in French). LSA.
  13. "Formation Pro:Jardiland et les dérives de la formation professionnelle". France Télévisions (in French). October 2, 2013.
  14. France TV (5 September 2015). "Je n'ai rien à cacher".
  15. Guillaume Couet; Vanessa Jiménez-Serrania; Nizar Lajnef; Elisabeth Logeais (June 11, 2015). "Questions for National Reporters of LIDC STOCKHOLM 2015" (PDF). INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF COMPETITION LAW. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  16. "Le secret des affaires: la directive européene qui veut taire la vérité" (in French). 22 June 2015.
  17. Avec Élise Lucet, l’indépendance défendue sans relâche (interview). L'Humanité, 7 September 2015
  18. AFIS (February 9, 2016). "Cash Investigation et les pesticides : quand des contrevérités sont diffusées en prime time" (in French).
  19. "Comment les téléspectateurs ont été abusés par Cash Investigation". 2 March 2016.
  20. "CSA.fr - Emission "Cash investigation" du 2 février 2016 : Intervention auprès de France Télévisions / Décisions du CSA / Espace juridique / Accueil". Archived from the original on 2016-09-04. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  21. "Résidus de pesticides dans les aliments: le risque pour les consommateurs reste faible - Autorité européenne de sécurité des aliments". www.efsa.europa.eu. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  22. ""Clash investigation" entre Lucet et Estrosi sur le stade de Nice". 18 October 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  23. "Cash investigation - Église catholique en France". 20 March 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  24. lefigaro.fr (31 October 2017). "Élise Lucet, animatrice préférée des Français, Cyril Hanouna dans les derniers du classement". Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  25. "Lauriers de la Télévision et de la Radio : découvrez le palmarès - News Télé 7 Jours". www.programme-television.org. Archived from the original on 2014-02-25.
  26. Atlasseo. "Le grand prix de la presse internationale". www.apepresseetrangere.org. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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