Paris Watch Daily Newspapers Show Real Life of France By KIKI YOSHIDA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
フランス知りたきゃ新聞読もう フランスは活字メディアの種類が多く、ル・モンド紙など世界的に有名な新聞のほか、3,000種類もの雑誌が刊行されています。それぞれのメディアは個性を持っており、読書好きな筆者は目移りすることもしばしば。今週はその活字メディア事情を見てみます。

Newspapers and magazines are my daily essentials. In Japan I used to buy a couple of different daily papers and dozens of magazines. I used to live in London, and still read "The Sunday Times" from time to time.

When I first settled in Paris in 1997, I couldn't understand French. For someone who loves reading, it was a tough situation. I had brought Japanese and English books with me, but I had lost the pleasure of reading local daily papers. That fact fueled my motivation to learn French.

For starters, I began reading women's magazines, which is a highly successful category of the French print media. These publications have managed to develop a faithful corps of readers and advertisers. "ELLE" and "Marie Claire" are even published in Japan. I am not a follower of fashion but the information they contain are quite useful to follow trends.

There are more than 3,000 magazines — this figure is thought to be the largest for any country — published in France. Above all, television guide magazines have a substantial circulation. Competition is fierce among these TV weeklies such as "Tele 7 Jours," "Tele Star," and "TeleZ."

Other specialized magazines on cuisine or housing decorations have amazing qualities. Flip the pages and you will get great satisfaction from those magnificent photos.

You might have heard the name "Paris Match." This magazine, founded in 1949, features current events, culture and stories on celebrities around the globe. Its photos have constituted a large part of its success. I still keep a memorial issue published right after Jean Marais' death. All the pictures are really beautiful. I call it a veritable album of the handsome actor's life.

In France you can't buy magazines at the bookstore. You have to get them at a newsstand or small store called Presse.

Most Japanese people, first thing in the morning, probably open newspapers that still smell of fresh ink. I used to wake up earlier than anybody in my family to enjoy this privilege. Unfortunately home delivery service is not common in France. Maybe they prefer to go to a regular newsstand or Presse. I miss reading papers in the morning with tousled hair and no makeup.

Here are France's big three dailies: "Le Monde," "Le Figaro" and "Libｿration."

Le Monde is considered to be the best quality paper, especially in the fields of politics and world news. However, Le Monde has suffered a significant drop in readership.

Le Figaro, which celebrated its 170th anniversary in 1996, is France's oldest daily. Although it had been ultra-conservative for a long time, it has become more liberal in recent years. Its real estate ads are also well known for their usefulness. This is one of my favorite papers and I never fail to buy Le Figaro on Saturdays. The special weekend edition is sold with three magazines (Le Figaro magazine, Madame Figaro and TV magazine), which I enjoy reading during the weekend.

Libｿration is a daily that was established by far-left sympathizers in 1973. This paper is especially popular among youngsters. Its format has been revamped several times and, as a consequence, this small-sized paper has attracted more readers.

Nowadays I see many people reading "Le Parisien" at cafｿs in the metro, on the street, or literally anywhere. This paper had a period when circulation fell but with the change of style, sales rose considerably. Actually Le Parisien initially taught me French. It's written in plain French and each article is rather short. I think it's a good paper to grasp what's going on. However, you might feel that information is inadequate if you are a regular reader of Le Monde or Le Figaro.

Another daily I can't forget to mention is "L'Equipe." Founded in 1946, this sports paper has gained a large number of readers after the soccer World Cup. Since France's victory at the World Cup in 1998, more and more French people have gotten interested in soccer. But what is strange to me is that it is the only sports paper in France.

I bought it a few times and learned that French sports journalism is nothing like in Japan. Unlike Japanese papers, there are no gossip or nasty articles. L'Equipe follows pure sportsmanship.

Naturally the newspaper covers domestic affairs in detail. Therefore, reading French papers is not appropriate for finding the latest news in Japan. But if you want to know more about France, it is the best way. By reading them intensively, the characteristics of a nation come into full view in front of you.

Shukan ST: July 7, 2000

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