France 2
Encyclopedia
France 2 is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned
France Télévisions
group, along with France 3
, France 4
, France 5
and France Ô
. France Télévisions also participates in ARTE
, EuroNews
, several cable/satellite thematic channels, and Mediamétrie
.
Originally under the ownership of the RTF
, the channel went on-air for the first time on 21 December 1963 as RTF
Télévision 2. Within a year, the formation of the ORTF
led to a rebranding as La Deuxième Chaîne (The Second Channel). Originally, the network was broadcast on 625-line transmitters only in preparation for the discontinuation of 819-line black & white transmissions and the introduction of colour. The switch to colour occurred at 14:15 CET
on 1 October 1967, using the SECAM
system. La Deuxième Chaîne became the first colour television channel in France – TF1
would not commence colour broadcasting on 625-lines until several years later. Such technology later allowed the network to air programming in NICAM
stereo (compatible with SECAM).
Since 03:20 CET on 7 April 2008, all France 2 programming has been broadcast in 16:9 widescreen format over the analog SECAM air frequencies and the French DVB-T multiplex frequencies (known as Television Numerique Terrestre
). A HD version of France 2 has been broadcasting via DVB-S
Service CanalSat
since 1 July 2008 and on DVB-T since 30 October 2008.
, Antenne 2 and FR3, now France 3
– alongside Radio France
, the production corporation Société française de production, the public broadcasting agency TéléDiffusion de France and the Institut national de l'audiovisuel
. Antenne 2 and the other corporations were constituted as limited companies with the state controlling 100% of their capital. Although the three channels were set up as competitors vying for advertisers, they retained a collective monopoly over television broadcasting in France that was not repealed until 1981. Privately owned channels such as Canal+
and La Cinq (now superseded by France 5
) soon became major competitors to the state-owned channels after the state monopoly was lifted. The breakup of ORTF had been intended to stimulate competition between the public channels but failed in this aim; both TF1 and Antenne 2 came to rely on a diet of popular entertainment shows alongside cheap American imports, seeking to maximise ratings and attract advertisers.
TF1 was privatised in 1987, radically affecting the balance of the French television market. The remaining state-owned channels came under severe pressure from their private competitors and lost 30% of their market share between 1987 and 1989. In an effort to save them, a single director-general was appointed to manage both Antenne 2 and FR3 and the two channels merged to form the France Télévisions
group. They were renamed in 1992 as France 2 and France 3 respectively.
By 1995, the combined audience share of the two state-owned channels was 41%, with France 2 in particular being heavily dependent on advertising and sponsorship revenues, which comprised 43.8% of its budget by 1996. The focus on ratings led to strong rivalry with TF1, for instance prompting the two channels to broadcast popular shows and news programmes in the same timeslots. TF1 and France 2 compete for the same demographics; dramas (including American imports), game shows and light entertainments form the dominant mix on both channels.
** Minimum
, Lazio, Lower Veneto
and parts of Lombardy
and Liguria
) using SECAM
and since 1983 using PAL
until 2003 when the frequencies were sold to various television networks like such as Canale Italia
and Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso
.
Since 11 December 2006, France 2 was again made available across Italy on Digital terrestrial television until 7 June 2007, when it was replaced by all-news French TV network France 24
.
France 2 is now only available in Aosta Valley due to Italian self-government laws, and in the border zones because of natural spillover.
in Beirut
while reporting on the Lebanese Civil War
. Philippe Rochot, Georges Hansen, Aurel Cornéa and Jean-Louis Normandin were four of many Western hostages held by terrorists during the conflict. During the opening sequences of Antenne 2 news bulletins, the headlines would be followed by a reminder of the French hostages held in Lebanon, including others such as Michel Seurat and Jean-Paul Kaufman, with names, photos and the length of their captivity. Within a year, most of the news team had been released and returned to France, but the reminders continued until all the hostages had been freed.
in the Gaza Strip
. The scene was filmed by a Palestinian journalist, Talal Abu Rahma, who worked for the station. The voiceover, blaming the killing on fire from the Israeli Defence Forces, was provided by the channel's reporter Charles Enderlin
. Subsequently that account was put in doubt, with others suggesting that the fatal shots could not have come from the IDF position. France 2 later launched libel actions against commentators who alleged that the incident was staged. Although France 2 initially won a case against one of those critics, Philippe Karsenty
, that judgment was overturned on appeal in May 2008. Based upon evidence presented by Karsenty, the court held that libel allegations could not be supported and upheld Karsenty's right to criticize the station over its coverage of this affair.
during the 2008–2009 Gaza conflict. It aired portion of a video that purported to show destruction caused by the Israel Air Force in January 2009, but was shown to be a different incident from 2005 in which the IDF denied having any involvement. After being alerted to the error by bloggers, France 2 acknowledged the error and formally apologized in the magazine Le Figaro
, saying that it was an "internal malfunction" caused by their staff having "worked too fast."
Public broadcasting
Public broadcasting includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.Public broadcasting may be...
France Télévisions
France Télévisions
France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
group, along with France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
, France 4
France 4
France 4 is a french public channel owned by France Télévisions, dedicated to the entertainment. At first named Festival, the channel took its current name in 2005, to mark better its membership to the group France Télévisions...
, France 5
France 5
France 5 is a public television network in France, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir...
and France Ô
France Ô
France Ô is a French public television network featuring programming from the French overseas departments and collectivities in Metropolitan France. It is part of the France Télévisions group...
. France Télévisions also participates in ARTE
Arte
Arte is a Franco-German TV network. It is a European culture channel and aims to promote quality programming especially in areas of culture and the arts...
, EuroNews
EuroNews
Euronews is an international multilingual news television channel.It covers world news from what it claims to be a 'European' perspective.Criticisms are that the perspective is in fact that of the European Commission - a major and growing funder of Euronews....
, several cable/satellite thematic channels, and Mediamétrie
Médiamétrie
-External links: http://www.mediametrie.fr/ http://www.mediametrie.com/...
.
Originally under the ownership of the RTF
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the French national public broadcasting organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "Radiodiffusion Française" , which had been founded in 1945...
, the channel went on-air for the first time on 21 December 1963 as RTF
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the French national public broadcasting organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "Radiodiffusion Française" , which had been founded in 1945...
Télévision 2. Within a year, the formation of the ORTF
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française
Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française was the French national public broadcasting organization established on 9 February 1949 to replace the post-war "Radiodiffusion Française" , which had been founded in 1945...
led to a rebranding as La Deuxième Chaîne (The Second Channel). Originally, the network was broadcast on 625-line transmitters only in preparation for the discontinuation of 819-line black & white transmissions and the introduction of colour. The switch to colour occurred at 14:15 CET
Central European Time
Central European Time , used in most parts of the European Union, is a standard time that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time . The time offset from UTC can be written as +01:00...
on 1 October 1967, using the SECAM
SECAM
SECAM, also written SÉCAM , is an analog color television system first used in France....
system. La Deuxième Chaîne became the first colour television channel in France – TF1
TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
would not commence colour broadcasting on 625-lines until several years later. Such technology later allowed the network to air programming in NICAM
NICAM
Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex is an early form of lossy compression for digital audio. It was originally developed in the early 1970s for point-to-point links within broadcasting networks...
stereo (compatible with SECAM).
Since 03:20 CET on 7 April 2008, all France 2 programming has been broadcast in 16:9 widescreen format over the analog SECAM air frequencies and the French DVB-T multiplex frequencies (known as Television Numerique Terrestre
Télévision Numérique Terrestre
TNT is the national digital terrestrial service for France. It formally arrived on 31 March 2005 after a short testing period. Like Freeview in the United Kingdom it will support many new channels as well as the current terrestrial television stations...
). A HD version of France 2 has been broadcasting via DVB-S
DVB-S
DVB-S is an abbreviation for Digital Video Broadcasting — Satellite; it is the original Digital Video Broadcasting forward error coding and demodulation standard for satellite television and dates from 1994, in its first release, while development lasted from 1993 to 1997...
Service CanalSat
CanalSat
CanalSat is a French digital satellite and DSL pay television service. It is owned by Vivendi with a 65% share, minority shareholders are Lagardère , TF1 and M6...
since 1 July 2008 and on DVB-T since 30 October 2008.
History
The present channel is the direct successor of Antenne 2, established under a 1974 law that mandated the breakup of ORTF into seven distinct organisations. Three television "programme corporations" were established in 1975 – TF1TF1
TF1 is a national French TV channel, controlled by TF1 Group, whose major share-holder is Bouygues. TF1's average market share of 24% makes it the most popular domestic network...
, Antenne 2 and FR3, now France 3
France 3
France 3 is the second largest French public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5, and France Ô....
– alongside Radio France
Radio France
Radio France is a French public service radio broadcaster.-Mission:Radio France's two principal missions are:* To create and expand the programming on all of their stations; and...
, the production corporation Société française de production, the public broadcasting agency TéléDiffusion de France and the Institut national de l'audiovisuel
Institut national de l'audiovisuel
The Institut national de l'audiovisuel , is a repository of all French radio and television audiovisual archives. Additionally it provides customers with a free and immediate access to archives of countries such as Afghanistan and Cambodia...
. Antenne 2 and the other corporations were constituted as limited companies with the state controlling 100% of their capital. Although the three channels were set up as competitors vying for advertisers, they retained a collective monopoly over television broadcasting in France that was not repealed until 1981. Privately owned channels such as Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
and La Cinq (now superseded by France 5
France 5
France 5 is a public television network in France, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir...
) soon became major competitors to the state-owned channels after the state monopoly was lifted. The breakup of ORTF had been intended to stimulate competition between the public channels but failed in this aim; both TF1 and Antenne 2 came to rely on a diet of popular entertainment shows alongside cheap American imports, seeking to maximise ratings and attract advertisers.
TF1 was privatised in 1987, radically affecting the balance of the French television market. The remaining state-owned channels came under severe pressure from their private competitors and lost 30% of their market share between 1987 and 1989. In an effort to save them, a single director-general was appointed to manage both Antenne 2 and FR3 and the two channels merged to form the France Télévisions
France Télévisions
France Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
group. They were renamed in 1992 as France 2 and France 3 respectively.
By 1995, the combined audience share of the two state-owned channels was 41%, with France 2 in particular being heavily dependent on advertising and sponsorship revenues, which comprised 43.8% of its budget by 1996. The focus on ratings led to strong rivalry with TF1, for instance prompting the two channels to broadcast popular shows and news programmes in the same timeslots. TF1 and France 2 compete for the same demographics; dramas (including American imports), game shows and light entertainments form the dominant mix on both channels.
Share
| 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34,0% | 31,3% | 32,0% | 33,9% | 34,3% | 36,6% | 40,0% | 46,2% | 45,7% | 42,2% | 39,4% | 32,0% | 26,9% | 23,4% | 22,1% | 21,3% | 24,0% | 24,7% | 25,0% | 23,8% |
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | Annual average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 23,9% | 27,3% | 23,3% | 24,2% | 24,1% | 24,5% | 24,8% | 24,2% | |||||
| 1997 | 23,2% | 23,9% | 24,7% | 24,7% | 23,6% | 22,9% | 26,7% | 22,4% | 22,9% | 22,2% | 23,0% | 23,7% | 23,7% |
| 1998 | 22,7% | 23,7% | 22,9% | 22,5% | 22,5% | 22,9% | 24,2% | 21,9% | 21,1% | 21,5% | 21,7% | 21,6% | 22,5% |
| 1999 | 22,1% | 21,8% | 22,2% | 22,6% | 22,1% | 22,6% | 24,4% | 21,6% | 22,4% | 21,5% | 21,7% | 21,6% | 22,3% |
| 2000 | 22,2% | 23,2% | 22,2% | 21,8% | 21,4% | 22,3% | 23,5% | 20,8% | 22,5% | 22,2% | 22,2% | 21,5% | 22,1% |
| 2001 | 20,6% | 20,4% | 20,5% | 21,1% | 20,0% | 21,0% | 23,1% | 20,0% | 21,5% | 22,7% | 22,1% | 21,0% | 21,1% |
| 2002 | 20,9% | 21,5% | 21,7% | 21,2% | 20,2% | 19,1% | 23,2% | 18,9% | 20,5% | 20,5% | 21,5% | 20,2% | 20,8% |
| 2003 | 20,1% | 20,4% | 21,2% | 21,0% | 20,4% | 20,2% | 22,6% | 20,3% | 20,0% | 19,8% | 20,9% | 19,5% | 20,5% |
| 2004 | 19,7% | 20,5% | 20,8% | 19,9% | 20,2% | 20,9% | 23,2% | 21,9% | 19,6% | 20,0% | 20,3% | 19,9% | 20,5% |
| 2005 | 19,7% | 19,7% | 19,5% | 19,8% | 19,2% | 20,1% | 23,1% | 18,8% | 19,3% | 19,2% | 19,9% | 19,7% | 19,8% |
| 2006 | 19,1% | 19,8% | 20,0% | 19,6% | 19,4% | 18,0% | 20,2% | 18,4% | 18,9% | 19,0% | 19,5% | 18,8% | 19,2% |
| 2007 | 18,3% | 19,2% | 18,8% | 18,2% | 17,8% | 18,1% | 20,6% | 16,8% | 16,9% | 17,6% | 17,8% | 17,3% | 18,1% |
| 2008 | 18,3% | 18,3% | 17,7% | 17,6% | 17,3% | 17,3% | 19,6% | 17,7% | 16,3% | 16,6% | 16,5% | 16,2% | 17,5% |
| 2009 | 16,7% | 16,4% | 16,4% | 16,2% | 16,8% | 16,9% | 19,1% | 15,4% | 16,1% | 16,3% | 16,6% | 16,4% | 16,7% |
| 2010 | 16,1% | 16,7% | 15,8% | 15,7% | 16,4% | 16,3% | 18,9% | 14,7% | 15,2% | 15,5% | 15,9% | 15,9% | 16,1% |
| 2011 | 15,3% | 15,3% | 15,3% | 15,0% | 15,3% | 15,2% | 17,0% | 13,1%** | 15,2% |
** Minimum
TV shows currently on air
- CommittedCommitted (2005 TV series)Committed is a television sitcom that aired on NBC as a midseason replacement from January 4 to March 15, 2005. Although originally broadcast twice a week the series eventually settled in a regular timeslot on Tuesdays at 9:30PM EST after Scrubs...
(Marni et Nate) - Grounded for LifeGrounded for LifeGrounded for Life is an American television sitcom that debuted on January 10, 2001 as a mid-season replacement on the FOX Network. It was created by Mike Schiff and Bill Martin. It ran for two seasons on the network until being cancelled only two episodes into its third season...
(Parents à tout prix) - Agatha Christie's PoirotAgatha Christie's PoirotAgatha Christie's Poirot is a British television drama that has aired on ITV since 1989. It stars David Suchet as Agatha Christie's fictional detective Hercule Poirot. It was originally made by LWT and is now made by ITV Studios...
(Hercule Poirot) - The O.C.The O.C.The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
(Newport Beach) - Samantha oups!Samantha oups!Samantha oups! is a French sketch comedy series that was broadcast on France 2 from 2004 to 2007.The series deals with the life of a blonde young woman, Samantha Lo, and her brunette friend, Chantal Matieu...
(Samantha oups !) - Without a TraceWithout a TraceWithout a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
(FBI : Portés disparus) - Minuit, le soirMinuit, le soirMinuit, le soir is an award-winning, character-driven Quebec television show. Set and shot in Montreal, the 30-minute show revolves around the lives of three bouncers, both in private and at work. The show is notable for its portrayal of the daily hardships facing each of the principal characters...
(Minuit, le soir) - Days of our LivesDays of our LivesDays of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
(Des jours et des vies) - The Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the BeautifulThe Bold and the Beautiful is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS Daytime. It premiered on March 23, 1987....
(Amour, gloire et beauté) - Coeur océan (Coeur océan)
- CastleCastle (TV series)Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
(Castle) - That's So RavenThat's So RavenThat's So Raven is an American cable television teen sitcom/fantasy series. The show premiered on the Disney Channel on January 17, 2003, and ended on November 10, 2007. The show spawned Disney Channel's first spin-off series: Cory in the House...
(Phénomène Raven)
Italian coverage
From 1975, Antenne 2 was available in Italy (regions of TuscanyTuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, Lazio, Lower Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
and parts of Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
and Liguria
Liguria
Liguria is a coastal region of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and good food.-Geography:...
) using SECAM
SECAM
SECAM, also written SÉCAM , is an analog color television system first used in France....
and since 1983 using PAL
PAL
PAL, short for Phase Alternating Line, is an analogue television colour encoding system used in broadcast television systems in many countries. Other common analogue television systems are NTSC and SECAM. This page primarily discusses the PAL colour encoding system...
until 2003 when the frequencies were sold to various television networks like such as Canale Italia
Canale Italia
Canale Italia is a Veneto-based Italian television network that offer a light entertainment program: movies, news and weather bulletins, political debates and variety shows...
and Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso
Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso
Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso S.p.A. is an Italian Media conglomerate, founded in 1955 and based in Rome, Italy and listed on the Italian Stock Exchange.- Shareholding :* CIR Group - 50,852%* Carlo Caracciolo - 10,008%...
.
Since 11 December 2006, France 2 was again made available across Italy on Digital terrestrial television until 7 June 2007, when it was replaced by all-news French TV network France 24
France 24
France 24 is an international news and current affairs television channel. The service is aimed at the overseas market, similar to BBC World News, DW-TV, NHK World and RT, and broadcast through satellite and cable operators throughout the world. During 2010 the channel started broadcasting through...
.
France 2 is now only available in Aosta Valley due to Italian self-government laws, and in the border zones because of natural spillover.
Lebanese Civil War kidnapping
In March 1986, an Antenne 2 news team was kidnappedKidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
while reporting on the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
. Philippe Rochot, Georges Hansen, Aurel Cornéa and Jean-Louis Normandin were four of many Western hostages held by terrorists during the conflict. During the opening sequences of Antenne 2 news bulletins, the headlines would be followed by a reminder of the French hostages held in Lebanon, including others such as Michel Seurat and Jean-Paul Kaufman, with names, photos and the length of their captivity. Within a year, most of the news team had been released and returned to France, but the reminders continued until all the hostages had been freed.
Muhammad al-Durrah shooting
On 30 September 2000 France 2 aired the famous footage of the shooting of Muhammad al-DurrahMuhammad al-Durrah
The Muhammad al-Durrah incident took place in the Gaza Strip on September 30, 2000, on the second day of the Second Intifada, amid widespread rioting throughout the Palestinian territories...
in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
. The scene was filmed by a Palestinian journalist, Talal Abu Rahma, who worked for the station. The voiceover, blaming the killing on fire from the Israeli Defence Forces, was provided by the channel's reporter Charles Enderlin
Charles Enderlin
Charles Enderlin is a Franco-Israeli journalist, specialising in the Middle East and Israel. He is the author of a number of books on the subject, including Shamir, une biographie , Shattered Dreams: The Failure of the Peace Process in the Middle East, 1995-2002 , and The Lost Years: Radical Islam,...
. Subsequently that account was put in doubt, with others suggesting that the fatal shots could not have come from the IDF position. France 2 later launched libel actions against commentators who alleged that the incident was staged. Although France 2 initially won a case against one of those critics, Philippe Karsenty
Philippe Karsenty
Philippe Karsenty is a French media analyst and the founder of Media-Ratings, which monitors the media in France for bias....
, that judgment was overturned on appeal in May 2008. Based upon evidence presented by Karsenty, the court held that libel allegations could not be supported and upheld Karsenty's right to criticize the station over its coverage of this affair.
2008–2009 Israel-Gaza Conflict
France 2 shut it mate has been accused of airing misleading footage of the event that was biased against IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
during the 2008–2009 Gaza conflict. It aired portion of a video that purported to show destruction caused by the Israel Air Force in January 2009, but was shown to be a different incident from 2005 in which the IDF denied having any involvement. After being alerted to the error by bloggers, France 2 acknowledged the error and formally apologized in the magazine Le Figaro
Le Figaro
Le Figaro is a French daily newspaper founded in 1826 and published in Paris. It is one of three French newspapers of record, with Le Monde and Libération, and is the oldest newspaper in France. It is also the second-largest national newspaper in France after Le Parisien and before Le Monde, but...
, saying that it was an "internal malfunction" caused by their staff having "worked too fast."