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(; English: "The Chained Duck" or "The Chained Paper", as is French slang meaning "newspaper") is a satirical weekly newspaper in France. Its headquarters is in Paris. Founded in 1915 during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, it features
investigative journalism Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, racial injustice, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend m ...
and leaks from sources inside the French government, the French political world and the French business world, as well as many jokes and cartoons. ''Le Canard enchaîné'' does not accept any advertisements and is privately owned, mostly by its own employees.


Presentation


Early history

The name is a reference to Radical Georges Clemenceau's newspaper ''L'homme libre'' (‘The Free Man’), which was forced to close by government censorship and reacted upon its reopening by changing its name to ''L'homme enchaîné'' ("The Chained-up Man"); ''Le Canard enchaîné'' means ‘The chained-up duck’ but ''canard'' (duck) is also French slang for ‘newspaper’; it was also a reference to French journals published by soldiers during
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. The weekly was founded in 1915 by and his wife, , along with H. P. Gassier. It changed its title briefly after
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
to ''Le Canard Déchaîné'' (‘The duck unbound’ or ‘out of control’) to celebrate the end of military censorship of the press. It resumed the title ''Le Canard enchaîné'' in 1920. The title also conveys a double meaning, ‘canard’ being a possible salacious rumour or whisper and ‘enchaîné’ simply meaning linked, hence ‘the inside whisper’. It continued to publish and grow in popularity and influence until it was forced to suspend publication during the
German occupation of France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...
in 1940. After the liberation of France it resumed publication. It changed to its eight-page format in the 1960s. Many of the ''Canards early contributors were members of the
Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
and
Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
parties, but it shed its alignment with those groups in the 1920s. Its current owners are not tied to any political or economic group. It now avoids any political alignment, and has gained a reputation for publishing incriminating stories and criticizing any political party with no preference. It is also fairly anti-clerical and lampoons the
nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...
. The ''Canard'' does not accept any
advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically us ...
. In the 1920s it used to provide free advertising for '' Le Crapouillot'', another satirical magazine created by Jean Galtier-Boissière, a friend of Maurice Maréchal. Similarly '' Le Crapouillot'' carried free advertisements for the ''Canard''. Relations between the two magazines soured during the
Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
since Maréchal supported the Spanish Republican government of
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
whilst Galtier-Boissière remained strictly
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...
. The ''Canard'' and its format served as an inspiration for the satirical weekly magazine '' El Be Negre'', published in
Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
between 1931 and 1936.


Typical format

The ''Canard'' has a fixed eight-page layout. Pages 1, 2–4 and 8 are mostly news and editorials. Page 2 carries anecdotes from the political and business world. Pages 5–7 are dedicated to social issues (such as the environment), profiles, general humour and satire, and literary, theatre, opera and film criticism. One section, called ''l'Album de la Comtesse'', is dedicated to
spoonerism A spoonerism is an occurrence of speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words of a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and priest William Archibald Spooner, who report ...
s. The ''Canard'' is notable because of its focus on scandals in French
governmental A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
and business circles, although it does also cover other countries. Although they became more aggressive during
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
's presidency, major French newspapers are traditionally reluctant to challenge government corruption or pursue embarrassing scandals (the rationale being that revealing political or business scandals only profits extremists on the far-left or far-right); hence, the ''Canard'' fills that gap. The ''Canard'' publishes insider knowledge on politicians and leaks from administration officials, including information from
whistle-blower Whistleblowing (also whistle-blowing or whistle blowing) is the activity of a person, often an employee, revealing information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe, unethical or ...
s. Generally, the ''Canard'' is well informed about happenings within the world of French politics. Its revelations have sometimes brought about the resignation of cabinet ministers. Some of the information published by the ''Canard'' clearly comes from very well-placed sources, who are likely to include ministerial aides.
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
was a frequent target, and was known to ask, "What does the bird have to say?" (''Que dit le volatile?'') every Wednesday – the day ''Canard'' would roll off the presses. There are often verbatim and off-the-record quotes from major politicians, including the president and prime minister, usually aimed at another politician. The paper's international coverage has been pretty spotty, though it has improved. It relies mostly on leaks from French government services and reports from the other media. It also publishes
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
cartoon A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently Animation, animated, in an realism (arts), unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or s ...
s and jokes. The factual and jocular columns are cleanly delineated.


Regular features

Every issue includes short political news (''Mare au Canards''); weekly profile (''Prises de Bec''); news from the media world; sections of press clippings (typos and malapropisms found in the French press) ''Rue des petites perles'' and ''À travers la presse déchaînée''; the section which highlights the two most absurd or incomprehensible sentences of the week by politicians, respectively hanging them up on the ''mur du çon'' or awarding them the ''noix d'honneur''; as well as its ''Sur l'Album de la Comtesse'' section of comic, cryptic
spoonerism A spoonerism is an occurrence of speech in which corresponding consonants, vowels, or morphemes are switched (see metathesis) between two words of a phrase. These are named after the Oxford don and priest William Archibald Spooner, who report ...
s. Some features are recurring but not present in every issue, such as bogus humorous interviews (''interviews (presque) imaginaires'') which have been copied by many others. Across the years, it also included recurring features focusing on one or more personalities of the day. Notably during the 1960s, and the cartoonist created a series, ''La Cour'', which was a parody of
Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon, Grandee of Spain, GE (; 16 January 16752 March 1755), was a French soldier, diplomat, and memoirist. He was born in Paris at the Hôtel Selvois, 6 rue Taranne (demolished in 1876 to make way for the Boulevard ...
's ''Memoirs on the Reign of
Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
''.
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
was turned into the king, and the deputies and the senators into
courtiers A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other Royal family, royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as ...
. Thus, in ''La Cour'',
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
became the ever-scheming count of Château-Chinon. In ''La Cour'', the king would address his subjects by means of the ''étranges lucarnes'' (strange windows), a phrase de Gaulle had employed about television. After the death of de Gaulle, ''La Cour'' became ''La Régence'' with
Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( ; ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously served as Prime Minister of France under President Charles de Gaulle from 19 ...
being the
regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
. This followed the Memoirs of Saint-Simon, which also extend into the Regency of
Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...
that followed the death of Louis XIV. After the death of Georges Pompidou, ''La Régence'' was stopped. Later long-running features include comical imaginary diaries such as the ''Journal de Xavière T.'' (following allegations of fake work done by Xavière Tiberi, wife of the then
mayor of Paris The mayor of Paris (, ) is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France. The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to ...
); the ''Journal de Carla B.'' (describing Carla Bruni's bohemian-bourgeois reactions towards events involving her husband, then President
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
); the ''Journal de Penelope F.'' (in the run-up to the 2017 presidential election and following allegations of fake work by Penelope Fillon, wife of the Les Républicains candidate François Fillon). The ''Canard'' also reports on topics affecting the general population: scandals in industries (workforce, safety issues), miscarriages of justice, misconduct in public administrations and services...


Argot

As with the British
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
magazine ''
Private Eye ''Private Eye'' is a British fortnightly satirical and current affairs (news format), current affairs news magazine, founded in 1961. It is published in London and has been edited by Ian Hislop since 1986. The publication is widely recognised ...
'', it has its own language,
jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...
and style. In particular, it has nicknames for politicians and personalities. Some examples include: *
Charles de Gaulle Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle (22 November 18909 November 1970) was a French general and statesman who led the Free France, Free French Forces against Nazi Germany in World War II and chaired the Provisional Government of the French Re ...
: ''Mongénéral'', ''Badingaulle'' (after 13 May 1958, an allusion to
Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
) *
François Mitterrand François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was a French politician and statesman who served as President of France from 1981 to 1995, the longest holder of that position in the history of France. As a former First ...
: ''Tonton'' ncle(the codename used by the French Secret Service in charge of his protection) *
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
: ''Valy'', ''L'Ex'' (after 1981) * Raymond Barre: '' Babarre'' * Michel Debré: ''L'amer Michel'' itter Michael(from the popular rhyme ''La Mère Michel'' other Michael *
Michel Rocard Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister of France, Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 199 ...
: '' Hamster Jovial'' (an allusion to a comic by Marcel Gotlib in reference to his past as a
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
) * Robert Hersant: ''Le Papivore'' (a reference to the many papers that he bought) * Christian Estrosi: ''Le Motodidacte'' (a reference to his past in motorbike racing) * Jean-Pierre Raffarin: ''Le Phénix du Haut-Poitou'' (from his region of origin) *
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
: ''Chichi'', ''Le Chi'' *
Bernadette Chirac Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chirac (; née Chodron de Courcel; born 18 May 1933) is a French politician and the widow of the former president Jacques Chirac. She and Chirac met as students at Sciences Po, and were married on 16 March 1956. They ...
: ''Bernie'' *
Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...
: ''Sarkoléon'' (A
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of Sarkozy with Napoléon), ''
Le petit Nicolas ''Le Petit Nicolas'' (''Little Nicholas'') is a series of French children's books created by René Goscinny and illustrated by Jean-Jacques Sempé; its first installment was originally published on 29 March 1959. The books depict an idealized ...
'' (title of a popular series of children's books and also a reference to Sarkozy's short stature) *
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. Before his presidency, he was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of th ...
: ''Monsieur Royal'' (a reference to his one-time life-partner Ségolène Royal), the pedalo captain *
Jean-Pierre Chevènement Jean-Pierre Chevènement (; born 9 March 1939) ...
: ''Le Che''


Staff

, the publisher of the ''Canard'' was Michel Gaillard, and the head editors were Claude Angeli and Erik Emptaz. The ''Canard'''s cartoonists include: *
André Escaro * Jacques-Armand Cardon * Lefred Thouron * Delambre * Kerleroux * Carlos Brito * Wozniak * Guiraud * Ghertman * Pancho * Patrick Chappatte Past cartoonists included: * Cabu, whose '' Beauf'' character was featured in a weekly strip. * Jean Effel * Moisan * Jacques Lap * René Pétillon It also publishes a quarterly magazine, ''Les Dossiers du Canard'', dedicated to one subject, usually one affecting French society, or world events as seen from a French perspective.


Scandals related to ''Le Canard enchaîné''


Plumbers affair

On 3 December 1973, policemen of the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DST), disguised as
plumber A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, hot-water production, sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.
s, were caught trying to install a spy microphone in the directorial office of ''Le Canard''. The resulting scandal forced Interior Minister Raymond Marcellin to leave the government, though it is said that Marcellin was a
scapegoat In the Bible, a scapegoat is one of a pair of kid goats that is released into the wilderness, taking with it all sins and impurities, while the other is sacrificed. The concept first appears in the Book of Leviticus, in which a goat is designate ...
for other members of the government, especially the Defense Minister, who was intent on knowing the identities of informers for the newspaper.


Robert Boulin affair

A series of articles accusing long-serving
Gaullist Gaullism ( ) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withdrew French forces from t ...
minister and possible Prime Ministerial candidate Robert Boulin of involvement in dubious real estate deals was followed by Boulin's mysterious death (October 1979), presumed to be suicide. Following his death, major officials publicly accused ''Le Canard enchaîné'' of the moral responsibility for Boulin's death, and there were broad hints the government might use the reaction to the Boulin death to seek stricter libel laws, as was done in the 1930s after the suicide of Roger Salengro.
Jacques Chaban-Delmas Jacques Chaban-Delmas (; 7 March 1915 – 10 November 2000) was a French Gaullist politician. He served as Prime Minister under Georges Pompidou from 1969 to 1972. He was the Mayor of Bordeaux from 1947 to 1995 and a deputy for the Gironde ''d ...
, then President of the National Assembly, who had been politically identified with Boulin for many years, told a special memorial session of the assembly that it should "draw the lessons of this tragedy, of this assassination". After meeting with President
Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, ; ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as simply Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Ministry of the Economy ...
, Prime Minister Raymond Barre called for "meditation upon the consequences of certain ignominies", and spoke of "a baseness". President Giscard d'Estaing also added to the criticism: Boulin, he said, "was unable to resist the campaign of harassment he was subjected to. Public opinion should severely condemn any other similar campaigns."


Notable investigations

* Marthe Hanau affair (1928) * Albert Oustric affair (1930) * Stavisky Affair (1934) * Cardinal Jean Daniélou's death in the house of a prostitute (1974) * Bokassa's diamonds (1980s) * The ''Canard'' fought to bring to light evidence of alleged corruption during President
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, ; ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and 1986 to 1988, as well as Mayor of Pari ...
's tenure as mayor of Paris. (''see: Chirac's role in Parisian corruption scandals'') * Contaminated blood scandal (1990s, in French) * Yann Piat (a former far-right National Front MP, assassinated on 25 February 1994) * Affair
Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
Dumas (1998) * The ''Canard'' made efforts to uncover the
Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...
past of former Paris chief of police Maurice Papon (1981). * The revelations by the ''Canard'' about Finance Minister
Hervé Gaymard Hervé Gaymard (born 31 May 1960) is a French politician and a member of The Republicans conservative party. He served as the country's Minister of Finance from 30 November 2004 until his resignation on 25 February 2005. Gaymard attended S ...
's lavish state-funded apartment led to his resignation in 2005. * Fillon affair (Penelopegate): revelations which accuse Penelope Fillon, wife of politician François Fillon, of alleged fictitious employment, as her husband's parliamentary assistant for a total salary of 900,000 euros over eight years on the one hand, and as a "literary adviser" of '' Revue des deux Mondes'' on the other, in January 2017.


Ownership

The ''Canard'' is published by ''Les Éditions Maréchal-Le Canard enchaîné'' (Maurice and Jeanne Maréchal founded the ''Canard''), which is privately owned; the main associates are Michel Gaillard (CEO and director of publication), André Escaro, Nicolas Brimo, Erik Emptaz and employees of the newspaper. Because it does not accept advertisements (being free of sponsors), being entirely privately owned (being the same,) and because its publishing costs are met by its sales, ''Le Canard Enchaîné'' is considered one of (if not the) most objective French publications—hence its continued existence.


Business

Despite declining newspaper circulations in France and elsewhere ''Canard'' is rich and growing. It owns cash reserves and property worth 110 million euros. It runs cheaply and profitably, restricting itself to eight pages of two-colour newsprint each week. Circulation has risen by a third since 2007, its scandal-fuelled growth having seen a rise to 700,000 copies printed and sold each week. Its net profit in 2009 was 5 million euros.


In popular culture

* In the film ''
L'Armée des Ombres ''Army of Shadows'' (; ) is a 1969 Franco-Italian World War II suspense-drama film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, and starring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Simone Signoret. It is an adaptation of Joseph ...
'', directed by
Jean-Pierre Melville Jean-Pierre Grumbach (20 October 1917 – 2 August 1973), known professionally as Jean-Pierre Melville (), was a French filmmaker. Considered a spiritual godfather of the French New Wave, he was one of the first fully-independent French filmmake ...
, the character Luc Jardie (played by Paul Meurisse), while in London during the German occupation of France during World War II, imagines that his fellow countrymen will be truly liberated when they can see American films and once more read ''Le Canard enchaîné'', alluding to the censorship of the
Vichy Regime Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the defeat against ...
. * In the TV film ''Notable donc coupable'' (2007) (translation: Well-to-do hence guilty), the fictional weekly ''Le Canardeur'' is modelled on ''Le Canard enchaîné''.


See also

* Political scandals in France * Albert Algoud *'' Le Tintamarre''


References

* Suzanne Daley,
A Print Devotee Scoops the Competition in France
', ''New York Times'', 25 March 2011


External links


Official site


{{DEFAULTSORT:Canard enchaine, Le Newspapers established in 1915 French companies established in 1915 Weekly newspapers published in France Satirical newspapers Satirical magazines published in France Newspapers published in Paris French Third Republic