Hubert Beuve-Méry (5 January 1902 in Paris – 6 August 1989 in
Fontainebleau) was a French journalist and newspaper editor. Before the Second World War, he was associated with the
Vichy regime
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...
until December 1942, when he joined the
Resistance. In 1944, he founded ''
Le Monde
''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' at the behest of
Charles de Gaulle. Following the liberation of France, Beuve-Méry built ''Le Monde'' from the ruins of ''
Le Temps
''Le Temps'' ( literally "The Time") is a Swiss French-language daily newspaper published in Berliner format in Geneva by Le Temps SA. It is the sole nationwide French-language non-specialised daily newspaper of Switzerland. Since 2021, it has ...
'' by using its offices, printing presses, masthead and those staff members who had not collaborated with the Germans.
Biography
He retired his editorship in 1969 but retained an office at the ''Le Monde'' building, until his death at age 87 at his home in
Fontainebleau, near Paris.
In 2000, he was named a
World Press Freedom Hero
International Press Institute World Press Freedom Heroes are individuals who have been recognized by the Vienna-based International Press Institute for "significant contributions to the maintenance of press freedom and freedom of expression" and "i ...
by the Vienna-based
International Press Institute
International Press Institute (IPI) is a global organisation dedicated to the promotion and protection of press freedom and the improvement of journalism practices. The institution was founded by 34 editors from 15 countries at Columbia University ...
.
References
1902 births
1989 deaths
French newspaper editors
20th-century French journalists
Writers from Paris
French male non-fiction writers
French Resistance members
Burials at Montparnasse Cemetery
French newspaper founders
20th-century French male writers
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