French Media Bias and Escalation: Disinformation, Hate Speech, and Hostility Towards Iran

1. Purpose of the Report

This report, produced by the Integrity & Investigations Department of OMSAC, aims to denounce the irresponsible and unethical behavior of several major French media outlets — BFM-TV, CNEWS, LCI, and FRANCE INFO. Far from providing objective information, these channels appear to have turned into propaganda platforms targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran, undermining its sovereignty, its institutions, and regional security.

2. Systematic Media Harassment Against Iran

These channels continuously broadcast hostile, repetitive narratives against Iran:

• Demonization of Iranian leaders, often with open calls for regime change by any means, including violence.

• Allusions to the assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an explicit incitement to violence and violation of international law.

• Identical guest panels, lacking plurality, often acting more like spokespeople for Israel or neoconservative circles than independent journalists.

  
  

3. The Nuclear File: Dangerous Propaganda

Since the Israeli attack on Iran during the "12-day war", these media outlets have intensified their campaign on the so-called "Iranian nuclear threat" — promoting a singular, biased narrative to justify future aggression:

• Baseless allegations against Iran’s nuclear program, which remains under IAEA supervision.

• Support for Israeli strikes and even the targeted killings of Iranian civilian nuclear scientists.

• Total silence on Israel’s nuclear arsenal, despite its refusal to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

This hypocrisy contributes to a culture of violence, misinformation, and media warfare against a sovereign nation.

4. Complicit Silence on Gaza

While obsessing over Iran, these same French media outlets have remained silent on Israel’s war crimes in Gaza, including:

• The mass murder of thousands of children and women since October 2023.

• No serious investigations or reporting on the humanitarian disaster.

• No mention of Israel’s illegal possession of nuclear weapons or its refusal to cooperate with international law.

This silence represents moral complicity and a blatant double standard in media coverage.

5. From Journalism to Political Militancy

These practices can no longer be called journalism:

• They represent political and ideological activism, promoting the foreign policy of certain powers.

• They serve as tools of war and disinformation, manipulating public opinion through fear and distortion.

• They threaten global peace and violate the fundamental ethics of journalism.

  
  

6. Recommendations

We call on:

• French and EU media regulators (ARCOM, European Commission) to investigate these editorial abuses.

• Independent NGOs and media watchdogs to document these violations.

• Citizens and journalists to demand ethical, balanced, and independent journalism.

  
  

7. Conclusion

Media must inform, not incite. They must expose injustice, not justify war. When they serve as tools of hatred and destabilization, they abandon their democratic mission and become actors in a geopolitical tragedy.

Integrity & Investigations Department of OMSAC