Editing Le Figaro (section)

=== Online Edition, ''lefigaro.fr'' ===
{{anchor|lefigaro.fr}}
{{Infobox website
| name = lefigaro.fr
| logo =
| logo_size = 230
| url = [https://www.lefigaro.fr lefigaro.fr]
| type = Online Newspaper
| founded = 1999
| headquarters = [[Paris]], [[Île-de-France]]
| location_country = France
| owner = Le Figaro
}}

The online newspaper's address has been ''lefigaro.fr'' since 1999.

In January 2010, ''lefigaro.fr'' introduced features reserved for subscribers.<ref>[http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2009/08/11/04002-20090811ARTFIG00221-lefigarofr-lance-l-espace-premium-pour-ses-abonnes-.php "Official announcement of the launch of the premium offer at the beginning of 2010"].</ref> Access to archived articles was also made available for a fee. In September 2011, the newspaper launched an online wine magazine. In February 2014, [[#FigaroVox|FigaroVox]], a platform for debates and ideas, was launched.<ref>[http://www.cbnews.fr/medias/figaro-vox-place-aux-debats-didees-a1010519 Thierry Wojciak, "Figaro Vox: a platform for debates and ideas," ''CBS News'', February 3, 2014].</ref><ref>[http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2014/02/03/20004-20140203ARTFIG00346-le-figaro-lance-la-plate-forme-de-debats-figarovox.php Alexandre Debouté, "Le Figaro launches the debate platform FigaroVox," ''Le Figaro'', February 3, 2014].</ref>

In 2008, ''Le Figaro'' became the leading news site on the Internet according to Internet audience data published by [[Nielsen Company|Nielsen]] [[Médiamétrie]]/[[Nielsen Ratings|NetRatings]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=M.-C. B. |title=Lefigaro.fr, the leading general news site |journal=Le Figaro |date=2008-07-16 |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2008/07/16/04002-20080716ARTFIG00019-lefigarofr-premier-site-d-information-generaliste-.php |access-date=2020-06-09}}.</ref> On November 17, 2011, the site was awarded the title of "Best Mobile Media" for the second time at the 2011 Mobile Internet Trophies.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Le Figaro.fr "Best Mobile Media" |journal=Le Figaro |date=2011-11-18 |url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-eco/2011/11/18/97002-20111118FILWWW00579-le-figarofr-meilleur-media-sur-mobile.php |access-date=2020-06-09}}.</ref> In 2013, it was still ranked as the leading French online press site in France.<ref>Benjamin Ferran, [http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2013/11/05/01007-20131105ARTFIG00557-le-figaro-redessine-son-site-internet-pour-mieux-raconter-l-actualite.php "Le Figaro redesigns its website to better tell the news"], in ''Le Figaro'', "Economy" section, Wednesday, November 6, 2013, page 27.</ref> In November of the same year, it broke the record of 11 million unique visitors on a French news website.<ref>Enguérand Renault, [http://www.lefigaro.fr/secteur/high-tech/2014/01/01/01007-20140101ARTFIG00078-record-d-audience-pour-le-site-du-figaro.php "Audience record for the ''Figaro'' website"], "Economy" section, Thursday, January 2, 2014, p. 24.</ref>

On April 13, 2015, Figaro Premium was launched, a paid offer (€9.90 per month initially, increasing to €15; free for newspaper subscribers). It provided access to all articles from ''Le Figaro'' and its related magazines in a more comfortable reading format with minimal advertising, available from 10 p.m. the evening before the print publication. At this stage, digital activities represented 25% of the group's revenue and 22% of advertising revenue. Various platforms were simultaneously created: Scan Politique, Scan Sport, Scan TV, Figaro Immobilier, Figaro Jardin, and recently, Scan Éco.<ref>Chloé Woitier, [http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2015/04/10/20004-20150410ARTFIG00389-le-figaro-premium-arrive-lundi.php "Le Figaro Premium arrives Monday"], ''Le Figaro'', Saturday 11 / Sunday 12 April 2015, p. 24.</ref>

The number of digital subscribers grew rapidly. In 2017, ''Le Figaro'' had 80,000 digital subscribers, in addition to 70,000 subscribers to both print and digital editions.<ref name="BFMBusiness">{{Cite web |language=fr |title=Le Monde and Le Figaro join forces in online advertising |url=http://bfmbusiness.bfmtv.com/entreprise/le-monde-et-le-figaro-s-allient-dans-la-pub-en-ligne-1211336.html |website=bfmbusiness.bfmtv.com |access-date=2017-07-20}}.</ref> In 2019, it was among the 50 most visited sites in France<ref>[https://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/FR Top sites in France] - Alexa Rank</ref> and had 130,000 digital subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web|language=fr|title=Goodbye Le Figaro.fr, hello Le Figaro|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/adieu-le-figaro-fr-bonjour-le-figaro-20191009|website=Le Figaro.fr|date=2019-10-09|access-date=2019-11-14}}</ref> The milestone of 200,000 website subscribers was reached in November 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |language=fr |first=Alexandre |last=Debouté |title=Le Figaro reaches 200,000 digital subscribers |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/le-figaro-franchit-le-cap-des-200-000-abonnes-numeriques-20201103 |website=Le Figaro.fr |date=2020-11-03 |access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref>

A study conducted in early 2020 by a cybersecurity company indicated that the personal data of the newspaper's website subscribers had been exposed on an unprotected server.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Damien Leloup |title=Personal data of thousands of ''Figaro'' readers exposed on a server |journal=Le Monde.fr |date=2020-04-30 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/pixels/article/2020/04/30/les-donnees-personnelles-de-milliers-de-lecteurs-du-figaro-exposees-sur-un-serveur_6038227_4408996.html |access-date=2020-04-30 }}</ref> In July 2021, the [[Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés (France)|National Commission for Informatics and Liberties]] fined ''Le Figaro'' €50,000 for installing third-party [[Cookie (computer science)|cookies]] without users' consent, in violation of the [[General Data Protection Regulation|GDPR]].<ref>{{Cite web |language=fr-FR |first=Molly |last=Killeen |title=Le Figaro fined 50,000 euros for GDPR violation |url=https://www.euractiv.fr/section/medias/news/le-figaro-publisher-fined-e50000-for-gdpr-violation/ |website=euractiv.fr |date=2021-07-30 |access-date=2021-08-01}}.</ref>

==== FigaroVox ====
FigaroVox is an online section of ''figaro.fr'' created in 2014 by [[Alexis Brézet]], a former journalist at ''[[Valeurs actuelles]]'' (from 1987 to 2000),<ref name=Monde>{{Cite journal|language=fr|title=How "Le Figaro" covers UMP affairs|journal=Le Monde.fr|date=2014-03-19|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/politique/article/2014/03/19/le-figaro-journal-de-droite-face-aux-affaires-de-l-ump_4385874_823448.html|access-date=2022-12-04}}</ref> "holding a very right-wing line",<ref name="FigaroVoxrue89"/> on the advice of [[Patrick Buisson]],<ref>{{Cite book|language=fr|author=[[Ariane Chemin]]|author2=[[Vanessa Schneider]]|title=Le mauvais génie|location=Paris|publisher=[[Librairie Arthème Fayard|Fayard]]|year=2015 |isbn=978-2-213-68664-6}}.</ref> a figure associated with Nicolas Sarkozy's shift to the far right in 2012.<ref name=Monde/> FigaroVox was an extension of the "debates and opinions" pages of the print daily on [[Internet]];<ref name=":9">{{Cite web|language=French|title=At FigaroVox, multiple voices debate|url=http://www.causeur.fr/figarovox-tremolet-villers-figaro-38165.html|website=causeur.fr|date=May 13, 2016|access-date=December 26, 2016}}.</ref> appearing on the homepage of Figaro's website, FigaroVox articles accentuated the political character of this daily.<ref name=Monde/> The journalists contributing to FigaroVox were positioned at the crossroads of the right, practicing Catholicism, and the "[[Nouveaux réactionnaires (France)|new reactionaries]]".<ref> RAISON DU CLEUZIOU Yann, "An Inverse Rally? The Neo-Republican Discourse of the Right Since the Manif pour tous," ''Mil neuf cent. Revue d'histoire intellectuelle'', 2016/1 (n° 34), pp. 125-148. DOI: 10.3917/mnc.034.0125. URL: https://www-cairn-info.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc.org/revue-mil-neuf-cent-2016-1-page-125.htm </ref> FigaroVox was led by [[Vincent Trémolet de Villers]], who co-authored a book on [[La Manif pour tous]] (''And France Awoke. An Investigation into the Revolution of Values'').<ref name=Monde/> It was edited by Alexandre Devecchio, a former journalist for the site [[Atlantico]].<ref name=Monde/> Its contributors included [[Maxime Tandonnet]], a former advisor on immigration to Nicolas Sarkozy, and [[Gilles-William Goldnadel]], an attorney for [[Patrick Buisson]].<ref name=Monde/>

FigaroVox's preferred themes were "the decline of the republican school, poorly controlled [[immigration]], and [[Islam]] as the primary threat to national identity".<ref name="FigaroVoxrue89"/>

Sociologist [[Philippe Corcuff]] considered FigaroVox an "ultraconservative" section.<ref>{{Cite book|language=fr|first1=Philippe|last1=Corcuff|title=The Great Confusion: How the Far-Right Wins the Battle of Ideas?|publisher=Textuel|date=2021-03-10 |isbn=978-2-84597-855-3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RfgZEAAAQBAJ&dq=figarovox+extr%C3%AAme-droite&pg=PT305|access-date=2022-12-04}}</ref> Sociologist [[Jean-Louis Schlegel]] of the magazine ''Esprit'' described it as a platform for "the right of the right", akin to ''Causeur'' or ''Valeurs actuelles''.<ref> SCHLEGEL Jean-Louis, "The Right in Search of Cultural Hegemony," ''Esprit'', 2017/12 (December), pp. 25-30. DOI: 10.3917/espri.1712.0025. URL: https://www.cairn.info/revue-esprit-2017-12-page-25.htm </ref> Political scientist Eszter Petronella suggested that FigaroVox allowed ''Le Figaro'' to "balance" the more moderate positions of the print daily by giving voice to an "identitarian and militant journalism," thereby catering to the needs of all readers.<ref>{{Cite book|language=en|first1=Eszter Petronella|last1=Soós|title=Magyarország-kép Franciaországban |chapter =Magyarország-kép vagy önarckép? Esettanulmány a 2010-2020 közötti időszakból|series=A Magyarságkutató Intézet Kiadványai |editor=Magyarország-kép Franciaországban |publisher=Magyarságkutató Intézet|date=2022|volume=49 |isbn=978-615-6117-63-2 |doi=10.53644/MKI.MKF.2022.305  |pages=305–333|url=http://real.mtak.hu/152765/1/MKI_bodo_B5_011_1.pdf }}</ref> Nolwenn Le Blevennec of [[Rue89]] described it as a {{quote|platform for the hard right of ''Le Figaro''}}.<ref name="FigaroVoxrue89">{{Cite web |language=fr |author=Nolwenn Le Blevennec |url=http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/rue89/rue89-medias/20151014.RUE0933/figarovox-rech-jeune-plume-qui-vomit-son-epoque.html |title=FigaroVox: Seeking a young pen who rejects its time |date=2015-10-14 |website=tempsreel.nouvelobs.com }}.</ref> Information science specialist Aurélie Olivesi noted the proximity between the "polemical site" FigaroVox and the magazine ''[[Causeur (magazine)|Causeur]]'', with some journalists having worked for both media.<ref>{{Cite journal|first1=Aurélie|last1=Olivesi|first2=Zoé|last2=Kergomard|title="Just as Orwell said": The Emergence of a "Dystopian Framing" in French Conservative Media in the 2010s|journal=SFRA Review|volume=50|issue=4|date=December 2020|url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03127627|access-date=2022-12-04|pages=119–127}}</ref> According to ''Causeur'', the section opened its doors to authors from both the left and the right.<ref name=":9" /> According to Nolwenn Le Blevennec, however, FigaroVox was haunted by an "identitarian obsession," exhibited an ultra-[[Conservatism|conservative]] and [[Sovereignty|sovereignist]] editorial line, and remained a platform where {{quote|one could read the [[National Rally (France)|National Front]] in the text, or link [[Islam]] and [[Daesh]]}}. Left-wing figures, such as [[Gaël Brustier]], [[Jean-Luc Mélenchon]], and [[Thomas Guénolé]],<ref name=":9" /> were invited "sometimes"<ref name="FigaroVoxrue89"/> or more regularly like [[Laurent Bouvet (political scientist)|Laurent Bouvet]].<ref> [https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/la-revue-de-presse/la-revue-de-presse-du-lundi-20-decembre-2021 Laurent Bouvet was so influential in our republican disputes! Le Figaro, Libération, l'Express, Le Point...], Claude Askolovitch, France Inter, December 20, 2021.</ref> [[Éric Zemmour]] and [[Alain Finkielkraut]] were very appreciated there.<ref name="FigaroVoxrue89"/> According to ''[[L'Express]]'', the invited authors included liberals and left-wing sovereignists, but in larger numbers were advocates of the "conservative reaction." These intellectuals and polemicists used the platform to criticize [[globalization]].<ref>{{Cite web |language=fr |author=Tugdual Denis and Eric Mandonnet |title=Buisson, Zemmour, Villiers... The Demons of the Right |url=https://www.lexpress.fr/politique/buisson-zemmour-de-villiers-les-demons-de-la-droite_1732115.html |website=L'Express |date=2015-11-03 |access-date=2023-11-01}}</ref>

Since 2019, the section has been headed by [[Guillaume Perrault]]; Alexandre Devecchio, whom ''Le Monde'' associates with the far right,<ref>In an article titled "How the far right infiltrated the media", ''Le Monde'' discusses the shift of conservative Alexandre Devecchio, "deputy editor of the debate pages of Figaro" (FigaroVox) into the camp of reactionaries, {{Cite journal|language=fr|title=How the far right infiltrated the media|journal=Le Monde.fr|date=2022-07-08|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2022/07/08/comment-l-extreme-droite-a-infiltre-les-medias_6133900_3234.html|access-date=2022-12-04}}</ref> was its deputy editor. In 2020, the section had six regular columnists, Bertille Bayart, [[Nicolas Baverez]], [[Renaud Girard]], [[Mathieu Bock-Côté]], [[Luc Ferry]], [[Ivan Rioufol]], along with guest contributors.<ref name=":9" />